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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: rush · plane · spell · bay · field · bass · cap · foot

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. cap — a lid
  4. field — a subject
  5. foot — a measure
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. rush — hurry
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. spell — a short time
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. spell — magic
  13. field — farmland
  14. cap — of ice
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. spell — letters
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. cap — a hat
  20. field — for sport
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. bass — the fish
  23. plane — a tool
  24. bass — low music

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