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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: wound · foot · prune · land · wake · fall · bass · shower

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. bass — the fish
  4. wound — an injury
  5. land — to come down
  6. prune — to trim
  7. shower — rain
  8. fall — to drop
  9. land — ground
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. bass — low music
  13. land — a country
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. wake — a trail
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. prune — to trim
  18. fall — the season
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. shower — to wash
  21. foot — a measure
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bass — the instrument

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