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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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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: fall · safe · wound · pop · bear · cabinet · bass · tear

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bear — the animal
  4. pop — music
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. fall — the season
  8. bass — low music
  9. tear — to rip
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. wound — an injury
  12. pop — soda
  13. pop — to visit
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. fall — to drop
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. tear — from crying
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. bear — the animal
  21. wound — an injury
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. fall — to drop

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