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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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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. land — a country
  3. mine — for digging
  4. last — to go on
  5. land — to come down
  6. bank — of a river
  7. bass — low music
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. prune — to trim
  13. ground — a position
  14. dip — to sink
  15. ground — crushed
  16. last — finally
  17. last — final
  18. bass — the fish
  19. land — ground
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. ground — the earth
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. prune — to trim
  24. bank — for money

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