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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: pound · field · stick · spring · hide · cap · bass · pitch

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. bass — low music
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. spring — a coil
  6. field — a subject
  7. spring — of water
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. cap — a hat
  10. cap — a lid
  11. bass — the fish
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. pitch — completely
  15. spring — the season
  16. field — farmland
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. field — for sport
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. cap — of ice

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