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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: bass · fan · spring · trunk · wound · tear · lean · firm

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. firm — steady
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. tear — from crying
  6. spring — a coil
  7. spring — the season
  8. lean — to bend
  9. lean — thin
  10. firm — a company
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. spring — of water
  16. tear — from crying
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bass — low music
  20. wound — an injury
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. firm — decided
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. bass — the fish

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