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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
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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: tear · row · pitcher · date · wave · bound · fine · bass

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bound — certain
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. tear — to rip
  7. bass — low music
  8. row — to paddle
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. date — the fruit
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. bound — tied together
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. fine — all right
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. row — a line
  22. fine — high quality
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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