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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. last — final
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. last — finally
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. bass — the fish
  11. field — a subject
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. field — for sport
  14. last — to go on
  15. field — farmland
  16. branch — a division
  17. pass — a permit
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. bass — low music
  24. leaves — of a tree

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