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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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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: field · land · bay · bass · pound · race · perch · craft

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. perch — the fish
  3. pound — a weight
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. field — for sport
  6. land — a country
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. craft — boats
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bass — low music
  13. craft — a skill
  14. field — a subject
  15. race — a contest
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. race — humankind
  22. land — ground
  23. race — the arms race
  24. field — farmland

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