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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: snap · field · deal · bat · rush · bass · band · fall

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. field — for sport
  3. bat — the animal
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. rush — hurry
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. bass — the fish
  10. field — farmland
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. fall — to drop
  15. snap — to click
  16. bass — low music
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. deal — to handle
  22. band — a music group
  23. band — a ring
  24. field — a subject

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