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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: nail · rock · bass · fan · field · board · key · wake

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. rock — a stone
  4. bass — low music
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. board — to get on
  7. field — a subject
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. rock — music
  11. board — a committee
  12. key — the most important part
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. key — in music
  18. field — farmland
  19. bass — the fish
  20. key — for a lock
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. wake — a trail
  23. field — for sport
  24. fan — a supporter

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