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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: can · spell · fall · bass · ground · stick · kid · date

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. can — to be able to
  3. bass — the fish
  4. fall — the season
  5. spell — a short time
  6. fall — to drop
  7. kid — to tease
  8. spell — letters
  9. bass — low music
  10. ground — crushed
  11. ground — a position
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. fall — to drop
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. kid — child
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. date — the fruit
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. spell — magic
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. ground — the earth
  24. can — a tin

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