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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 120 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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468
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: suit · fall · land · leaves · scale · snap · tear · bass

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. tear — from crying
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bass — low music
  7. fall — to drop
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. suit — clothes
  10. suit — in cards
  11. scale — in music
  12. suit — to fit
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. tear — to rip
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. land — ground
  17. fall — the season
  18. snap — to click
  19. land — a country
  20. land — to come down
  21. scale — size or range
  22. bass — the fish
  23. fall — to drop
  24. tear — from crying

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