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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: march · bass · scale · prune · deal · fall · bulb · ball

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. march — the month
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bass — the fish
  9. scale — size or range
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. march — the month
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bulb — for light
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. fall — the season
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — to trim
  19. ball — a dance
  20. bass — low music
  21. scale — in music
  22. march — music
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. ball — a great time

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