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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 120 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: stand · mine · bass · game · mate · bank · last · bound

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. bass — low music
  3. last — final
  4. last — finally
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bank — of a river
  8. bound — tied together
  9. mate — a friend
  10. last — to go on
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mate — to breed
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. stand — to bear
  15. bank — for money
  16. mate — a partner
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. bank — for money
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bound — certain
  22. game — wild animals
  23. mine — for digging
  24. mine — belonging to me

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