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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: bay · plane · stock · bass · row · field · lash · coach

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. row — a line
  3. field — a subject
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. bass — low music
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. field — for sport
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. stock — shares
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. plane — a tool
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. row — to paddle
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. stock — goods
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. coach — a trainer

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