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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: bass · wind · field · hand · wake · mug · tube · bay

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. wind — moving air
  4. mug — a face
  5. field — farmland
  6. mug — a cup
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. wake — a trail
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. field — for sport
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. field — a subject
  15. tube — a container
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. wind — moving air
  20. mug — to rob
  21. hand — in cards
  22. hand — help
  23. bass — low music
  24. tube — the underground

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