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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. ground — a position
  3. field — a subject
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. bank — for money
  6. ground — the earth
  7. foot — a measure
  8. spell — a short time
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. spell — magic
  11. bank — of a river
  12. bass — low music
  13. ground — crushed
  14. squash — the sport
  15. spell — letters
  16. field — farmland
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. field — for sport
  22. squash — to crush
  23. bank — for money
  24. foot — the bottom

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