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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: leaves · ball · bound · present · bass · pit · stand · field

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. field — a subject
  3. ball — a dance
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. ball — a great time
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bound — obliged
  9. present — there
  10. pit — in a race
  11. bound — certain
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. stand — to bear
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. present — a gift
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. field — for sport
  19. pit — a hole
  20. bass — low music
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. bound — tied together
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. present — the time now

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