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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: stand · wave · rule · hide · hand · tear · bass · pop

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bass — low music
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. tear — from crying
  12. hand — help
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. rule — a law
  15. pop — music
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. pop — soda
  18. tear — from crying
  19. rule — government
  20. pop — to visit
  21. hand — in cards
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. stand — to bear
  24. tear — to rip

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