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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 120 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: tear · track · wake · pit · fine · stick · bass · fall

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. fall — to drop
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. pit — a hole
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. fine — high quality
  8. track — a path
  9. track — to keep track
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. fine — all right
  13. fall — to drop
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. bass — the fish
  16. pit — in a race
  17. tear — from crying
  18. wake — a trail
  19. track — a song
  20. tear — from crying
  21. fall — the season
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. tear — to rip
  24. fine — a penalty

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