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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: lean · nail · land · net · bass · track · fan · bound

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. track — to keep track
  3. land — ground
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bass — low music
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. net — after costs
  8. land — to come down
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. net — in sport
  11. bound — tied together
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. net — for catching
  14. land — a country
  15. bound — certain
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. track — a song
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. lean — thin
  20. bound — obliged
  21. lean — to bend
  22. track — a path
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. bass — the instrument

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