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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: field · mate · kick · pound · bass · hide

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. bass — the fish
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. field — a subject
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. kick — in football
  8. mate — to breed
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. pound — a weight
  11. field — for sport
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. field — farmland
  14. mate — a partner
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. mate — a friend
  18. bass — low music

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