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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: wound · bass · prune · bowl · hide · bat · safe · fall

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. bass — low music
  3. fall — the season
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. fall — to drop
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. wound — an injury
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. wound — an injury
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. hide — to keep secret

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