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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. net — after costs
  3. rush — hurry
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. net — for catching
  6. field — farmland
  7. bass — low music
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. wound — an injury
  12. root — of a word
  13. root — of a plant
  14. root — the cause
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. field — for sport
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bass — the fish
  22. net — in sport
  23. field — a subject
  24. deal — to handle

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