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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 116 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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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: wake · net · bass · lean · bank · ball · field · current

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. net — for catching
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. bass — the fish
  6. lean — thin
  7. bank — of a river
  8. field — a subject
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. current — of water
  11. current — happening now
  12. bass — low music
  13. lean — to bend
  14. wake — a trail
  15. net — after costs
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. ball — a dance
  18. field — for sport
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. bank — for money
  21. current — electric
  22. field — farmland
  23. bank — for money
  24. ball — a great time

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