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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 120 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: bay · bank · wake · ground · bat · field · last · bear

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. bank — for money
  3. wake — a trail
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. bear — the animal
  6. last — final
  7. field — farmland
  8. last — finally
  9. ground — a position
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bear — the animal
  12. ground — the earth
  13. last — to go on
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — of a river
  16. field — a subject
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. bat — the animal
  22. field — for sport
  23. ground — crushed
  24. bat — for baseball

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