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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: wave · can · dip · mouse · cold · bass · ball · field

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. bass — the fish
  3. dip — to sink
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. cold — not warm
  7. ball — a dance
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. cold — an illness
  10. field — a subject
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. field — farmland
  13. can — a tin
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. field — for sport
  19. can — to be able to
  20. bass — low music
  21. can — a tin
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. cold — the Cold War

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