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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: drill · hide · bass · row · key · fine · straw · tear

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. tear — to rip
  4. fine — high quality
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. row — a line
  8. drill — army training
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. tear — from crying
  11. key — the most important part
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. key — in music
  14. fine — all right
  15. row — to paddle
  16. drill — a practice
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. tear — from crying
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. bass — the fish
  21. key — for a lock
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. drill — the tool
  24. bass — low music

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