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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
468
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: can · mine · land · mouse · march · stick · bass · mate

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. march — the month
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. land — ground
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. mate — to breed
  8. bass — the fish
  9. mine — for digging
  10. land — a country
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. can — to be able to
  14. mate — a friend
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. can — a tin
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. march — the month
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. march — music
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. bass — low music
  23. mate — a partner
  24. land — to come down

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