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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: bass · tear · season · foot · track · plane · rush · cap

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. foot — a measure
  4. plane — a tool
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. rush — hurry
  7. season — in sport
  8. bass — low music
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — to rip
  13. track — a path
  14. track — a song
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. cap — a hat
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. cap — a lid
  19. season — of the year
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bass — the fish
  22. cap — of ice
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. track — to keep track

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