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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: field · bass · coach · rush · leaves · ball · lash · race

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. field — for sport
  3. bass — low music
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. bass — the fish
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. ball — a dance
  9. rush — hurry
  10. ball — a great time
  11. race — a contest
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. field — farmland
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. race — humankind
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. field — a subject
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. leaves — to go away

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