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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. bear — the animal
  4. land — a country
  5. bear — the animal
  6. band — a music group
  7. land — to come down
  8. bank — of a river
  9. key — in music
  10. bank — for money
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. bass — low music
  13. key — for a lock
  14. pop — to visit
  15. band — a ring
  16. bass — the fish
  17. key — the most important part
  18. pop — soda
  19. bank — for money
  20. spring — the season
  21. spring — of water
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. pop — music
  24. spring — a coil

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