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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: mine · land · bass · content · coach · temple

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. bass — the fish
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. content — the amount
  9. land — to come down
  10. content — happy
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. mine — for digging
  13. bass — low music
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. land — ground
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. land — a country
  18. coach — pulled by horses

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