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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: bore · dip · field · snap · fall · board · bass · pound

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. fall — to drop
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. field — farmland
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. field — a subject
  9. snap — to click
  10. pound — a weight
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. fall — the season
  13. field — for sport
  14. bass — low music
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bore — to drill
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. fall — to drop
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. board — to get on
  22. bore — to tire
  23. board — a committee
  24. pound — to hit hard

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