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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.

Make a worksheet

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: mine · ground · game · race · perch · date · bank · bass

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mine — for digging
  6. bank — for money
  7. race — humankind
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. bass — low music
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. race — a contest
  12. bank — of a river
  13. game — a match
  14. ground — the earth
  15. bass — the fish
  16. ground — a position
  17. ground — crushed
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. race — the arms race
  20. bank — for money
  21. date — the fruit
  22. perch — the fish
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. date — on the calendar

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