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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
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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: spring · bound · bear · chip · date · field · bass · bay

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. field — farmland
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. chip — to eat
  5. field — for sport
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. chip — for betting
  8. bass — the fish
  9. spring — the season
  10. bound — certain
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. spring — of water
  14. bound — tied together
  15. field — a subject
  16. date — the fruit
  17. bound — obliged
  18. spring — a coil
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bass — low music
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. bear — the animal

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