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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: fall · bass · ball · file · calf · fan · spell · mouse

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fall — the season
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. file — a tool
  7. spell — magic
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. ball — a dance
  11. file — a line of people
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. spell — letters
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. file — a document
  21. ball — a great time
  22. spell — a short time
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. bass — low music

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