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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: wake · press · bass · bulb · field · saw · toast · content

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  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. saw — the tool
  2. toast — bread
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. field — for sport
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. press — to push
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — for light
  12. saw — the tool
  13. content — the amount
  14. content — happy
  15. press — newspapers
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. bass — low music
  18. press — a publisher
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. bass — the fish
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. field — farmland
  23. wake — a trail
  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