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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 · fall · pop · club · wave · stand · mine · fork

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. club — for dancing
  3. mine — for digging
  4. pop — music
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. fall — to drop
  10. club — for golf
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bass — low music
  13. fall — the season
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. pop — to visit
  16. pop — soda
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. fork — in a road
  24. club — a group

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