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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: fall · spring · game · bass · wake · scale · bay · bound

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. scale — in music
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. fall — to drop
  6. game — a match
  7. spring — of water
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. bass — low music
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. spring — the season
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bound — certain
  14. spring — a coil
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. bass — the fish
  21. scale — size or range
  22. bound — obliged
  23. fall — the season
  24. game — wild animals

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