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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: cabinet · season · mug · rest · current · bass · can · tear

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. tear — from crying
  3. can — a tin
  4. season — in sport
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. can — to be able to
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. rest — what's left
  9. bass — low music
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. mug — to rob
  12. mug — a cup
  13. current — of water
  14. tear — to rip
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. rest — what's left
  18. current — happening now
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. can — a tin
  21. mug — a face
  22. rest — a break
  23. current — electric
  24. tear — from crying

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