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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
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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: field · rash · ground · hand · march · pitcher · lean · bass

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. march — music
  3. march — the month
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. lean — to bend
  6. ground — a position
  7. field — for sport
  8. rash — hasty
  9. march — the month
  10. ground — the earth
  11. field — farmland
  12. ground — crushed
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. field — a subject
  16. hand — help
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. lean — thin
  19. rash — a series
  20. hand — in cards
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bass — low music
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. rash — on the skin

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