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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: racket · bass · band · rush · land · spell · cabinet · field

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. band — a ring
  4. field — for sport
  5. field — a subject
  6. band — a music group
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bass — low music
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. field — farmland
  11. spell — letters
  12. bass — the fish
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. land — a country
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. land — ground
  19. rush — hurry
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. land — to come down
  23. spell — a short time
  24. rush — to hurry

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