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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mine · field · rock · wind · band · toast · bulb · bass

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. band — a ring
  4. toast — bread
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bass — low music
  7. rock — music
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bulb — for light
  11. rock — a stone
  12. field — a subject
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. field — for sport
  15. mine — for digging
  16. bass — the fish
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. band — a music group
  20. bulb — for light
  21. field — farmland
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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