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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: rush · tear · stick · pitcher · wake · saw · bass · cap

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. cap — a hat
  3. saw — the tool
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. saw — the tool
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bass — low music
  10. cap — a lid
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. rush — hurry
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. cap — of ice
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. wake — a trail
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — to rip
  21. bass — the fish
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. tear — from crying

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