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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pop · kid · field · season · march · staff · bass · bore

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. staff — a stick
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bore — to drill
  5. staff — employees
  6. pop — soda
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. march — the month
  9. pop — music
  10. staff — employees
  11. bore — to tire
  12. field — a subject
  13. march — the month
  14. kid — child
  15. march — music
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. pop — to visit
  18. season — of the year
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. bass — low music
  21. bass — the fish
  22. field — for sport
  23. season — in sport
  24. field — farmland

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