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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mine — for digging
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. bass — the fish
  6. net — in sport
  7. net — after costs
  8. scale — size or range
  9. net — for catching
  10. bank — for money
  11. bank — for money
  12. vault — a safe
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. field — for sport
  15. field — a subject
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. bank — of a river
  18. bass — low music
  19. field — farmland
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. scale — in music
  22. rock — a stone
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. rock — music

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