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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 · bound · mine · track · dip · field · net · season

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. dip — to sink
  4. bound — tied together
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. bound — certain
  8. season — of the year
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. field — a subject
  12. track — a path
  13. field — farmland
  14. net — for catching
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. season — in sport
  17. net — in sport
  18. track — to keep track
  19. net — after costs
  20. field — for sport
  21. track — a song
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. bass — low music
  24. bass — the fish

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