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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 · sharp · ground · can · saw · pop · wound · bass

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. saw — the tool
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bass — low music
  6. ground — a position
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. ground — crushed
  9. pop — to visit
  10. ground — the earth
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. field — for sport
  13. pop — soda
  14. can — a tin
  15. wound — an injury
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. field — farmland
  18. bass — the fish
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. can — a tin
  21. sharp — clever
  22. saw — the tool
  23. pop — music
  24. can — to be able to

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