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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: cap · bat · club · lean · wound · fan · can · bass

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. cap — of ice
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. bass — low music
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — a tin
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. club — for golf
  12. club — for dancing
  13. lean — thin
  14. bass — the fish
  15. can — to be able to
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. lean — to bend
  19. wound — an injury
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. club — a group
  22. bat — the animal
  23. cap — a hat
  24. wound — an injury

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