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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: bass · field · wound · march · plane · net · stand · saw

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. bass — the fish
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. net — for catching
  8. wound — an injury
  9. field — farmland
  10. net — in sport
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. bass — low music
  14. saw — the tool
  15. march — the month
  16. march — music
  17. field — a subject
  18. plane — a tool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. march — the month
  21. net — after costs
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. wound — an injury
  24. stand — to bear

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