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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 116 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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. bass — the fish
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. tube — the underground
  8. tear — from crying
  9. rock — a stone
  10. rock — music
  11. craft — a skill
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. wake — a trail
  14. tear — to rip
  15. saw — the tool
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. tube — a container
  21. bass — low music
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. craft — boats

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