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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 · cap · can · prune · bass · patient · hide · wind

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. cap — of ice
  3. fall — to drop
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. bass — low music
  7. fall — the season
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. bass — the fish
  10. fall — to drop
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. can — to be able to
  13. can — a tin
  14. wind — moving air
  15. prune — to trim
  16. cap — a lid
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. prune — to trim
  21. can — a tin
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. cap — a hat
  24. wind — moving air

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