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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: march · track · mouse · bass · club · fan · fall · plane

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. fall — to drop
  3. march — the month
  4. march — music
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. track — a path
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bass — the fish
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. march — the month
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. club — a group
  14. plane — a tool
  15. track — to keep track
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. club — for dancing
  18. fall — the season
  19. bass — low music
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. track — a song
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. club — for golf
  24. mouse — for a computer

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