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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: lean · leaves · bass · march · chip · season · key · field

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. key — for a lock
  3. chip — to eat
  4. season — in sport
  5. chip — for betting
  6. bass — the fish
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. lean — to bend
  9. field — farmland
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. march — music
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. field — a subject
  14. key — the most important part
  15. march — the month
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. season — of the year
  18. lean — thin
  19. key — in music
  20. march — the month
  21. bass — low music
  22. field — for sport
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. bass — the instrument

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