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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 · rush · cap · bass · cabinet · rock · field · bear

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. rush — hurry
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. field — for sport
  5. rock — music
  6. field — a subject
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bass — low music
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. cap — a hat
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. rock — a stone
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. cap — of ice
  16. field — farmland
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bass — the fish
  24. leaves — lets stay

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