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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 120 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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. spell — magic
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. spell — a short time
  8. spell — letters
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. stand — to bear
  15. plane — a tool
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. field — a subject
  19. bass — the fish
  20. field — for sport
  21. branch — a division
  22. field — farmland
  23. branch — of a tree
  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