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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: mug · row · present · bass · mine · vault · land · date

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. bass — the fish
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. mug — a cup
  5. land — to come down
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. mug — to rob
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. present — there
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. mug — a face
  12. row — to paddle
  13. land — a country
  14. present — a gift
  15. mine — for digging
  16. bass — low music
  17. date — the fruit
  18. present — the time now
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. land — ground
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. row — a line
  24. vault — a safe

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