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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 · bank · land · field · mate · pass · squash · march

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. bank — for money
  3. march — music
  4. bass — low music
  5. bank — for money
  6. field — for sport
  7. march — the month
  8. bank — of a river
  9. land — ground
  10. field — farmland
  11. land — a country
  12. pass — a permit
  13. mate — to breed
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. bass — the fish
  16. land — to come down
  17. mate — a partner
  18. squash — to crush
  19. field — a subject
  20. march — the month
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. mate — a friend

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