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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. drill — army training
  3. field — farmland
  4. lean — thin
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. board — to get on
  8. drill — a practice
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. field — a subject
  11. press — to push
  12. board — a committee
  13. bass — low music
  14. press — newspapers
  15. lean — to bend
  16. field — for sport
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. pitch — completely
  20. press — a publisher
  21. wax — to grow
  22. bass — the fish
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. drill — the tool

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