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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: spring · ground · suit · trunk · wake · bass · fall · staff

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. ground — the earth
  3. fall — to drop
  4. suit — to fit
  5. bass — the fish
  6. ground — crushed
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. spring — of water
  9. staff — employees
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. staff — a stick
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. bass — low music
  14. suit — clothes
  15. suit — in cards
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. fall — the season
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. spring — the season
  20. staff — employees
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. wake — a trail
  23. spring — a coil
  24. ground — a position

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