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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 · bowl · fall · pop · spell · stand · mine · cabinet

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. spell — a short time
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. spell — magic
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. fall — to drop
  10. pop — music
  11. spell — letters
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. stand — to bear
  17. fall — the season
  18. pop — soda
  19. pop — to visit
  20. mine — for digging
  21. fall — to drop
  22. bass — low music
  23. bass — the fish
  24. stand — on your feet

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