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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. net — for catching
  4. net — after costs
  5. lean — to bend
  6. lean — thin
  7. plane — a tool
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. bass — the fish
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. wind — moving air
  13. tear — from crying
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. net — in sport
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. fine — high quality
  19. fine — all right
  20. tear — to rip
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. tear — from crying
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. bass — low music

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