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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 116 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: field · pass · pop · shower · dip · net · wound · bass

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. field — a subject
  3. net — in sport
  4. field — for sport
  5. net — for catching
  6. net — after costs
  7. field — farmland
  8. pass — a permit
  9. pop — soda
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. shower — to wash
  14. wound — an injury
  15. shower — rain
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bass — low music
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. pop — to visit
  22. wound — an injury
  23. dip — to sink
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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