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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: sharp · ball · press · plane · stem · tear · bass · fan

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. tear — from crying
  3. press — to push
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. ball — a great time
  9. plane — a tool
  10. sharp — clever
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. tear — to rip
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. press — newspapers
  19. bass — low music
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. stem — to come from
  22. bass — the fish
  23. press — a publisher
  24. stem — of a plant

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