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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: board · pitcher · field · bass · key · wake

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. field — farmland
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. board — to get on
  5. key — the most important part
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. key — for a lock
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. field — a subject
  12. bass — low music
  13. field — for sport
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. bass — the fish
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. key — in music
  18. board — a committee

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