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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.

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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: cabinet · firm · sharp · bass · tear · stem · bat · board

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. firm — a company
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bass — low music
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bat — the animal
  9. firm — steady
  10. board — to get on
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. tear — from crying
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. firm — decided
  16. tear — to rip
  17. board — a committee
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. sharp — clever
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. stem — to come from
  24. board — a flat piece

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