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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: bass · field · wind · mouse · season · racket · cap · bear

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. field — a subject
  4. season — of the year
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. bear — the animal
  7. season — in sport
  8. bear — the animal
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. cap — a hat
  11. bass — low music
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. cap — of ice
  17. wind — moving air
  18. cap — a lid
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bass — the fish
  22. field — farmland
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. season — to add flavour

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