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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: bore · bank · field · wake · bass · wind · cabinet · season

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. field — a subject
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. field — farmland
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. bank — of a river
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. field — for sport
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. season — of the year
  11. season — in sport
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. bore — to tire
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. bank — for money
  17. bank — for money
  18. bore — to drill
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. wake — a trail
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. bass — low music
  24. bass — the instrument

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