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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: bowl · pit · bank · staff · bass · date · toast · field

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. pit — in a race
  3. field — a subject
  4. bank — for money
  5. field — farmland
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bass — low music
  9. bank — of a river
  10. staff — employees
  11. pit — a hole
  12. toast — bread
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. date — the fruit
  18. staff — employees
  19. staff — a stick
  20. bank — for money
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. field — for sport
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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