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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 · mouse · spell · date · bass · bat · trunk · ball

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. date — the fruit
  4. spell — magic
  5. spell — a short time
  6. spell — letters
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. ball — a great time
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. bass — low music
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. bass — the fish
  14. ball — a dance
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. bat — the animal
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. fall — the season
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. fall — to drop
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. trunk — of a car

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