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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: band · calf · club · bass · charge · lean · dip · field

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. lean — thin
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bass — the fish
  8. field — farmland
  9. charge — in control
  10. band — a ring
  11. lean — to bend
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. club — for dancing
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. club — for golf
  17. band — a music group
  18. club — a group
  19. charge — a price
  20. charge — electricity
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. field — for sport
  23. dip — to sink
  24. field — a subject

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