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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: leaves · bass · wake · pitcher · saw · object · game · field

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. field — a subject
  8. game — a match
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — the tool
  11. field — farmland
  12. bass — the fish
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. bass — low music
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. object — a thing
  17. game — wild animals
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. object — to protest
  20. field — for sport
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. object — an aim
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. wake — a trail

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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