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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
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: bass · wound · toast · net · rash · fall · saw · calf

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. net — in sport
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. fall — to drop
  6. wound — an injury
  7. net — for catching
  8. saw — the tool
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. toast — bread
  11. bass — low music
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. saw — the tool
  14. wound — an injury
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. fall — to drop
  17. net — after costs
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. rash — hasty
  21. fall — the season
  22. rash — a series
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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