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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
468
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 · lean · cabinet · vault · plane · racket · stock · tear

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. plane — a tool
  8. tear — to rip
  9. lean — to bend
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. bass — the fish
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. stock — goods
  15. lean — thin
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. vault — a safe
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. stock — shares
  23. tear — from crying
  24. lean — to rest against

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