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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: bass · rock · cabinet · saw · swing · clip · stick · tear

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. tear — to rip
  4. swing — to play on
  5. rock — music
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. rock — a stone
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. swing — in golf
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bass — low music
  13. swing — music
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. tear — from crying
  16. saw — the tool
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. clip — for paper
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. clip — to cut
  22. bass — the fish
  23. clip — a video
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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