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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: can · clip · spell · tear · scale · dip · rush · bass

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. tear — from crying
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — a tin
  6. spell — letters
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. can — to be able to
  9. dip — to sink
  10. scale — in music
  11. rush — hurry
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. spell — a short time
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. tear — from crying
  17. clip — to cut
  18. bass — the fish
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. bass — low music
  21. clip — a video
  22. spell — magic
  23. clip — for paper
  24. scale — size or range

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