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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: rock · object · field · spell · snap · firm · bass · clip

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. firm — steady
  3. object — a thing
  4. spell — a short time
  5. object — an aim
  6. firm — a company
  7. firm — decided
  8. field — for sport
  9. field — a subject
  10. spell — magic
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. snap — to click
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. bass — the fish
  15. clip — to cut
  16. rock — a stone
  17. spell — letters
  18. bass — low music
  19. rock — music
  20. clip — a video
  21. object — to protest
  22. clip — for paper
  23. field — farmland
  24. rock — to move gently

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