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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: bowl · plane · object · tear · cue · bass · file · stock

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. file — a line of people
  3. object — a thing
  4. stock — shares
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. bass — low music
  7. cue — for pool
  8. tear — to rip
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. cue — a hint
  12. file — a tool
  13. cue — a signal
  14. file — a document
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. plane — a tool
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — from crying
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. object — an aim
  23. stock — goods
  24. object — to protest

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