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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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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 · dip · stand · field · rock · object · cell · mate

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. object — an aim
  3. rock — music
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. cell — in biology
  6. field — for sport
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. field — farmland
  10. stand — to bear
  11. dip — to sink
  12. bass — the fish
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. field — a subject
  15. rock — a stone
  16. mate — to breed
  17. object — a thing
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. object — to protest
  21. mate — a partner
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. cell — a phone
  24. mate — a friend

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