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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: field · ball · hide · squash · plane · race · spring · bass

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. race — humankind
  4. race — a contest
  5. spring — the season
  6. plane — a tool
  7. squash — the sport
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. squash — to crush
  10. ball — a dance
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. field — farmland
  13. spring — of water
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. ball — a great time
  16. spring — a coil
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. field — a subject
  19. bass — low music
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. bass — the fish
  23. race — the arms race
  24. field — for sport

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