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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 116 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: ball · key · plane · bass · field · saw · board · wind

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. field — farmland
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. bass — low music
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. ball — a great time
  8. board — to get on
  9. ball — a dance
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. key — for a lock
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. bass — the fish
  14. field — for sport
  15. wind — moving air
  16. key — the most important part
  17. field — a subject
  18. board — a committee
  19. key — in music
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. wind — moving air
  22. saw — the tool
  23. plane — a tool
  24. saw — the tool

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