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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: pop · mug · stand · tear · net · jam · land · mine

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pop — soda
  3. land — ground
  4. land — to come down
  5. net — in sport
  6. mug — a face
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. net — after costs
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. net — for catching
  13. mine — for digging
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. tear — from crying
  16. pop — to visit
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. mug — a cup
  19. tear — from crying
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. tear — to rip
  22. mug — to rob
  23. land — a country
  24. stand — to bear

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