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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. bass — low music
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. bass — the fish
  5. tear — from crying
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. object — a thing
  8. tear — to rip
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. shower — to wash
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. plane — a tool
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. shower — rain
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. object — to protest
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. object — an aim
  19. fall — to drop
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. tear — from crying
  22. fall — to drop
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. straw — a straw man

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com