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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · rush · scale · fine · leaves · bowl · field · bass

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. fall — the season
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. field — farmland
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. fine — all right
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. rush — hurry
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. bass — low music
  15. scale — in music
  16. field — a subject
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. fall — to drop
  19. field — for sport
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. fine — high quality
  22. bass — the fish
  23. scale — size or range
  24. leaves — of a tree

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