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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. field — farmland
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. season — of the year
  5. saw — the tool
  6. field — for sport
  7. scale — in music
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bear — the animal
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. field — a subject
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. saw — the tool
  17. season — in sport
  18. bark — to shout
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. bass — low music
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. bear — the animal

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