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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: clip · bass · scale · bowl · roll · fall · cabinet · can

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. fall — to drop
  3. can — to be able to
  4. clip — to cut
  5. roll — a list
  6. bass — the fish
  7. scale — size or range
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. clip — for paper
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bass — low music
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. fall — the season
  14. clip — a video
  15. scale — in music
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. can — a tin
  24. roll — a cake

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