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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: cap · pound · bore · cell · mate · bass · row · land

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. cap — a lid
  3. bore — to tire
  4. row — a line
  5. cap — a hat
  6. land — ground
  7. row — to paddle
  8. mate — a friend
  9. bass — the fish
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. mate — to breed
  14. land — to come down
  15. cell — in biology
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. bore — to drill
  20. land — a country
  21. cap — of ice
  22. mate — a partner
  23. pound — a weight
  24. cell — a phone

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