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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: plane · craft · mug · bass · mine · date · mate · last

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bass — the fish
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. mug — a cup
  7. mug — a face
  8. last — to go on
  9. plane — a tool
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mate — a partner
  12. craft — boats
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. craft — a skill
  16. mate — to breed
  17. mine — for digging
  18. last — final
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. mug — to rob
  21. mate — a friend
  22. last — finally
  23. date — the fruit
  24. bass — low music

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