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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: season · field · mine · lash · bass · wound · squash · vault

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. field — a subject
  6. field — for sport
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. season — in sport
  11. season — of the year
  12. mine — for digging
  13. field — farmland
  14. wound — an injury
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. vault — a safe
  19. squash — to crush
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. squash — the sport
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bass — the fish
  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