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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
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: bear · board · field · wind · can · bass · spring · pitch

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. spring — of water
  3. bass — the fish
  4. pitch — completely
  5. can — to be able to
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. can — a tin
  8. wind — moving air
  9. field — for sport
  10. spring — a coil
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. board — to get on
  13. board — a committee
  14. field — farmland
  15. spring — the season
  16. bass — low music
  17. bear — the animal
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. field — a subject
  21. bear — the animal
  22. wind — moving air
  23. can — a tin
  24. bear — to put up with

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