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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

Word bank: bass · race · stand · tear · current · craft

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bass — low music
  3. current — electric
  4. current — happening now
  5. race — the arms race
  6. tear — to rip
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. stand — to bear
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. race — humankind
  13. craft — a skill
  14. race — a contest
  15. current — of water
  16. craft — boats
  17. bass — the fish
  18. tear — from crying

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