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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 120 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: stand · bass · bowl · lash · wax · game · court · field

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. game — a match
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. field — a subject
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. bass — low music
  10. game — wild animals
  11. wax — to grow
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. field — for sport
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. court — for sport
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. field — farmland
  18. court — of law
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. court — of a king
  23. stand — to bear
  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