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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 116 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: bat · lean · bass · bear · snap · pop · stock · fall

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. snap — to click
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. pop — music
  7. stock — goods
  8. bear — the animal
  9. pop — soda
  10. bass — low music
  11. fall — to drop
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. stock — shares
  17. bat — the animal
  18. lean — thin
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. lean — to bend
  21. fall — to drop
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. pop — to visit
  24. fall — the season

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