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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · cabinet · ground · fan · toast · tear · file · hide

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bass — the fish
  3. file — a document
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. tear — to rip
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. file — a tool
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bass — low music
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. ground — the earth
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. toast — bread
  16. ground — a position
  17. ground — crushed
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. tear — from crying
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. file — a line of people
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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