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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.

Make a worksheet

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 · field · stand · lean · vault · date · chest · season

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. field — farmland
  3. stand — to bear
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. chest — of your body
  6. date — the fruit
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. bass — the fish
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. field — a subject
  14. lean — to bend
  15. vault — a safe
  16. field — for sport
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. chest — of your body
  20. lean — thin
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. chest — a box
  23. season — in sport
  24. bass — low music

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