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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 120 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: wave · bass · current · fall · ground · season · cabinet · rock

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. fall — the season
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bass — low music
  5. current — of water
  6. current — electric
  7. ground — the earth
  8. ground — crushed
  9. fall — to drop
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. rock — a stone
  12. season — of the year
  13. rock — music
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. season — in sport
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. current — happening now
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. ground — a position
  23. fall — to drop
  24. wave — of the sea

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