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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: squash · bass · bank · mine · cell · fall · ball · perch

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. perch — the fish
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bank — of a river
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. bass — the fish
  7. cell — a phone
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. fall — the season
  11. bass — low music
  12. squash — the sport
  13. ball — a dance
  14. ball — a great time
  15. bank — for money
  16. squash — to crush
  17. cell — in biology
  18. fall — to drop
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. bank — for money
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. mine — for digging

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