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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: bass · wave · stick · chest · fall · wound · bark · mine

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bass — low music
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. fall — to drop
  6. mine — for digging
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. chest — a box
  9. fall — the season
  10. bass — the fish
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. chest — of your body
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. bark — to shout
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. chest — of your body
  24. bass — the instrument

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