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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. mark — a trace
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — to be able to
  5. ground — the earth
  6. field — a subject
  7. ground — a position
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. ground — crushed
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. hand — help
  13. field — for sport
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. bass — low music
  16. bank — of a river
  17. bank — for money
  18. mark — a grade
  19. can — a tin
  20. bank — for money
  21. wake — a trail
  22. bass — the fish
  23. field — farmland
  24. hand — in cards

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