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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: land · field · bass · pound · chest · bowl · pass · object

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. land — ground
  3. land — a country
  4. bass — low music
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. field — farmland
  8. object — an aim
  9. object — a thing
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. land — to come down
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. field — for sport
  15. chest — a box
  16. pass — a permit
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — of your body
  21. field — a subject
  22. object — to protest
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. bass — the fish

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