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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: fork · shower · wind · stick · bass · last · spring · ball

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. ball — a great time
  4. fork — in a road
  5. spring — a coil
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bass — the fish
  8. spring — the season
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. wind — moving air
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. shower — rain
  15. last — finally
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. spring — of water
  18. bass — low music
  19. last — final
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. ball — a dance
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. shower — to wash
  24. last — to go on

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