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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 120 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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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: bat · fall · board · prune · band · pass · cell · dip

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. cell — in biology
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. pass — a permit
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bat — the animal
  8. board — to get on
  9. band — a music group
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. band — a ring
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. fall — to drop
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. prune — to trim
  16. cell — a phone
  17. fall — the season
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. board — a committee
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. prune — to trim
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. dip — to sink

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