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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: bass · court · tube · bear · field · ball · saw · calf

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. tube — a container
  3. court — of law
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. saw — the tool
  6. ball — a dance
  7. bass — low music
  8. saw — the tool
  9. court — of a king
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. bear — the animal
  13. field — for sport
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. court — for sport
  17. field — a subject
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. field — farmland
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. ball — a great time
  23. tube — the underground
  24. bear — the animal

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