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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 116 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: mark · leaves · bass · mine · row · squash · deal · bound

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. row — a line
  5. bass — low music
  6. bound — obliged
  7. mark — a grade
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. squash — the sport
  10. mine — for digging
  11. deal — to handle
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. bound — certain
  14. bound — tied together
  15. mark — a trace
  16. bass — the fish
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. squash — to crush
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. row — to paddle
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. leaves — lets stay

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