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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: bass · saw · season · mouse · band · pitch · trunk · race

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. saw — the tool
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. season — in sport
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. season — of the year
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. race — humankind
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. bass — low music
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. band — a music group
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. race — the arms race
  21. band — a ring
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. pitch — completely
  24. bass — the fish

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