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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 116 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: pass · lean · bass · tube · current · tear · pitcher · staff

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bass — the fish
  4. current — of water
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. bass — low music
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. tear — from crying
  10. staff — a stick
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tube — the underground
  13. current — happening now
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. staff — employees
  16. lean — thin
  17. pass — a permit
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. staff — employees
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. tube — a container
  23. lean — to bend
  24. current — electric

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