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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: drill · land · mark · object · ground · mate · bass · tube

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. drill — the tool
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. land — to come down
  6. bass — the fish
  7. object — a thing
  8. mate — a partner
  9. tube — the underground
  10. mate — to breed
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. object — an aim
  13. mark — a grade
  14. bass — low music
  15. ground — the earth
  16. object — to protest
  17. mark — a trace
  18. drill — army training
  19. land — ground
  20. ground — a position
  21. land — a country
  22. ground — crushed
  23. drill — a practice
  24. tube — a container

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