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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 116 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 · stand · current · hand · pop · trunk · saw · fall

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — the season
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. bass — low music
  8. pop — music
  9. stand — to bear
  10. saw — the tool
  11. hand — help
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. fall — to drop
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. bass — the fish
  16. hand — in cards
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. current — of water
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. pop — to visit
  21. current — electric
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. saw — the tool
  24. pop — soda

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