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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: fall · safe · hide · bass · spring · tear · jam · key

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. bass — low music
  4. key — in music
  5. bass — the fish
  6. key — for a lock
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. spring — the season
  11. fall — the season
  12. spring — of water
  13. tear — from crying
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. tear — from crying
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. fall — to drop
  20. spring — a coil
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. key — the most important part
  23. fall — to drop
  24. safe — out of danger

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