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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: pop · board · field · press · nail · wake · mouse · bass

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. board — a committee
  3. field — farmland
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. press — newspapers
  6. pop — to visit
  7. press — to push
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. bass — the fish
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. pop — soda
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. press — a publisher
  14. wake — a trail
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. field — a subject
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. pop — music
  22. board — to get on
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. bass — low music

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