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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 116 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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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: present · bass · bowl · field · coach · rock · kid · bank

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. field — for sport
  3. bank — of a river
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. rock — music
  6. field — a subject
  7. present — a gift
  8. present — there
  9. bass — low music
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. bank — for money
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. kid — child
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. rock — a stone
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. bass — the fish
  21. kid — to tease
  22. bank — for money
  23. field — farmland
  24. present — the time now

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