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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. kid — to tease
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. season — of the year
  5. spring — a coil
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. field — for sport
  10. bank — of a river
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. kid — child
  14. spring — of water
  15. bass — the fish
  16. board — to get on
  17. season — in sport
  18. bank — for money
  19. board — a committee
  20. field — a subject
  21. field — farmland
  22. spring — the season
  23. bass — low music
  24. bay — a part of the sea

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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