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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  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. cabinet — ministers
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. ball — a dance
  4. bass — the fish
  5. saw — the tool
  6. field — a subject
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. deal — to handle
  9. field — farmland
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. saw — the tool
  12. ball — a great time
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. field — for sport
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bark — to shout
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. bark — of a tree
  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