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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. rest — what's left
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. clip — a video
  6. cell — in biology
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. rest — what's left
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. bass — low music
  11. clip — for paper
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. rest — a break
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. field — for sport
  16. field — a subject
  17. bulb — for light
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. bass — the fish
  20. clip — to cut
  21. bulb — for light
  22. cell — a phone
  23. stand — to bear
  24. bulb — of a plant

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