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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 120 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: cold · tear · rock · bore · ruler · craft · bass · fall

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. rock — a stone
  3. fall — the season
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. tear — from crying
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. cold — an illness
  8. rock — music
  9. tear — to rip
  10. bore — to tire
  11. tear — from crying
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. craft — a skill
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bass — low music
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. bore — to drill
  21. cold — not warm
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. craft — boats

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