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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bank — of a river
  5. mate — a friend
  6. track — a path
  7. bass — low music
  8. bank — for money
  9. track — a song
  10. bank — for money
  11. mate — a partner
  12. staff — employees
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mate — to breed
  15. perch — the fish
  16. stock — goods
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. staff — a stick
  19. stock — shares
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bass — the fish
  22. staff — employees
  23. track — to keep track
  24. stock — a soup base

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