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

Word bank: bass · field · pitch · band · snap · wave · lash · ruler

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. band — a ring
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. bass — low music
  7. pitch — completely
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. snap — to click
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. field — farmland
  17. band — a music group
  18. field — for sport
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. bass — the fish
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. wave — with your hand

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