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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: bass · mine · wound · bear · plane · straw · bank · pit

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bass — the fish
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bank — for money
  6. plane — a tool
  7. bank — for money
  8. bear — the animal
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. pit — in a race
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bank — of a river
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. mine — for digging
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. pit — a hole
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bass — low music

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