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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 116 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 play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. field — farmland
  3. board — to get on
  4. bass — the fish
  5. can — a tin
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. bass — low music
  10. board — a committee
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wound — an injury
  13. can — to be able to
  14. can — a tin
  15. field — for sport
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. root — of a word
  18. root — of a plant
  19. field — a subject
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. wound — an injury
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. root — the cause

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