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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. stand — to bear
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. field — for sport
  5. degree — an amount
  6. field — a subject
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. degree — from a university
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. field — farmland
  11. season — in sport
  12. fall — to drop
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. degree — temperature
  17. foot — a measure
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. fall — the season
  20. season — of the year
  21. bass — the fish
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. fall — to drop
  24. branch — a division

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