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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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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: tear · ball · stick · bass · game · file · lean · bank

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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. bass — the fish
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. bank — for money
  6. file — a line of people
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. file — a document
  9. tear — from crying
  10. file — a tool
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. ball — a great time
  13. game — wild animals
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. lean — thin
  16. bank — of a river
  17. lean — to bend
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. game — a match
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. tear — to rip
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. ball — a dance
  24. bank — for money

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