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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 · pop · field · safe · tear · fall · rash · ruler

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bass — low music
  4. pop — music
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. rash — hasty
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. field — a subject
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. pop — to visit
  11. field — farmland
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. field — for sport
  14. fall — the season
  15. fall — to drop
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. tear — to rip
  18. pop — soda
  19. fall — to drop
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bass — the fish
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. ruler — for measuring

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