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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: hand · cabinet · bound · rock · mine · bass

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rock — a stone
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. mine — for digging
  6. bass — low music
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bound — certain
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bass — the fish
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. hand — in cards
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. hand — help

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