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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: game · tear · wound · fan · drill · deal · sharp · bass

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. game — wild animals
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bass — low music
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. drill — a practice
  10. sharp — clever
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — an injury
  16. tear — from crying
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. drill — army training
  20. drill — the tool
  21. deal — to handle
  22. game — a match
  23. tear — from crying
  24. fan — a supporter

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