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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 120 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: wave · nail · bass · bay · spring · field · bank · bore

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bass — low music
  3. field — a subject
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. bore — to tire
  8. bore — to drill
  9. bank — for money
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. spring — the season
  12. spring — a coil
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. bank — of a river
  15. bank — for money
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. field — for sport
  19. bass — the fish
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. field — farmland
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. spring — of water

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