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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: bass · vault · row · field · mouse · spell · drill · leaves

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. drill — a practice
  4. spell — magic
  5. field — farmland
  6. drill — the tool
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. vault — a safe
  10. bass — low music
  11. row — to paddle
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. row — a line
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. spell — a short time
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. field — for sport
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. drill — army training
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. spell — letters
  23. bass — the fish
  24. mouse — for a computer

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