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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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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: bound · staff · bear · bass · spell · land

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. bear — the animal
  3. land — to come down
  4. bound — certain
  5. spell — a short time
  6. bass — low music
  7. staff — employees
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bear — the animal
  12. staff — a stick
  13. spell — letters
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bound — tied together
  16. land — a country
  17. spell — magic
  18. staff — employees

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