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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: bear · bass · firm · last · saw · wave · date · field

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. firm — steady
  3. bear — the animal
  4. field — farmland
  5. date — the fruit
  6. saw — the tool
  7. last — to go on
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. bass — the fish
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. field — a subject
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. bass — low music
  16. last — final
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. firm — decided
  20. saw — the tool
  21. field — for sport
  22. firm — a company
  23. last — finally
  24. bass — the instrument

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