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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 · field · saw · chest · shower · foot · ball · cell

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  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. cell — in biology
  2. chest — of your body
  3. saw — the tool
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. shower — to wash
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. field — a subject
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. bass — low music
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. chest — a box
  13. cell — a phone
  14. saw — the tool
  15. ball — a dance
  16. foot — a measure
  17. bass — the fish
  18. chest — of your body
  19. field — farmland
  20. field — for sport
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. shower — rain
  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