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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: mine · kid · can · bear · season · date · bass · ground

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — a tin
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. bass — the fish
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. ground — a position
  13. season — in sport
  14. bass — low music
  15. mine — for digging
  16. ground — crushed
  17. bear — the animal
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. season — of the year
  20. ground — the earth
  21. kid — child
  22. can — to be able to
  23. kid — to tease
  24. date — the fruit

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