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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: present · fall · trunk · face · bore · pitcher · fan · bass

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bass — low music
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. present — there
  9. bore — to tire
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. face — part of the head
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. bore — to drill
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bass — the fish
  18. face — to point toward
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. fall — the season
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. face — to confront
  24. present — the time now

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