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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: mine · pop · ball · root · bear · clip · bass · mate

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. bass — low music
  3. clip — to cut
  4. pop — to visit
  5. pop — music
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. mate — to breed
  9. root — the cause
  10. pop — soda
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — the animal
  14. mate — a partner
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. clip — for paper
  17. clip — a video
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. ball — a great time
  20. root — of a plant
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. ball — a dance
  23. mate — a friend
  24. root — of a word

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