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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: bore · mine · bass · mark · sharp · ground · band · fan

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. mine — for digging
  3. band — a ring
  4. bass — low music
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. mark — a trace
  7. bore — to tire
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. ground — the earth
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. sharp — clever
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. mark — a grade
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. bass — the fish
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. bore — to drill
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. ground — crushed
  23. band — a music group
  24. fan — a supporter

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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