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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: field · hand · cell · bass · perch · mark · wound · wind

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. perch — the fish
  3. mark — a trace
  4. bass — low music
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. bass — the fish
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. wound — an injury
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. hand — help
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. wind — moving air
  14. mark — a grade
  15. field — a subject
  16. field — for sport
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. hand — in cards
  20. cell — a phone
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. wound — an injury
  23. field — farmland
  24. wind — moving air

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