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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: fan · race · pitch · bay · bass · patient · leaves · band

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. bass — low music
  6. race — the arms race
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. race — humankind
  11. band — a music group
  12. bass — the fish
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. race — a contest
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. band — a ring
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. pitch — completely
  24. fan — to cool the air

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