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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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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: tear · craft · board · cabinet · cap · temple · bass · stick

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. tear — from crying
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. board — to get on
  5. cap — a lid
  6. board — a committee
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bass — the fish
  9. craft — a skill
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. craft — boats
  15. tear — to rip
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. tear — from crying
  18. cap — a hat
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. cap — of ice
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. temple — a place of worship

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