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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. rock — music
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. fall — to drop
  5. field — farmland
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. field — for sport
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. land — to come down
  12. land — ground
  13. rock — a stone
  14. bass — the fish
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. land — a country
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bass — low music
  19. fall — to drop
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. field — a subject
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. fall — the season

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