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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 120 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: track · pop · leaves · cabinet · spring · staff · bass · tear

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. tear — from crying
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. staff — employees
  5. pop — music
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. pop — to visit
  8. spring — of water
  9. track — to keep track
  10. spring — the season
  11. tear — to rip
  12. track — a path
  13. staff — a stick
  14. bass — low music
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. pop — soda
  17. staff — employees
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. track — a song
  22. spring — a coil
  23. tear — from crying
  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