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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: drill · face · club · bass · net · spell · fall · spring

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. face — part of the head
  3. fall — the season
  4. club — a group
  5. drill — the tool
  6. spell — letters
  7. fall — to drop
  8. club — for golf
  9. spring — of water
  10. drill — army training
  11. drill — a practice
  12. club — for dancing
  13. spell — a short time
  14. spell — magic
  15. spring — a coil
  16. net — in sport
  17. spring — the season
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bass — the fish
  20. face — to confront
  21. bass — low music
  22. face — to point toward
  23. net — after costs
  24. net — for catching

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