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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mine · roll · bass · bear · mate · spring · toast · foot

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. roll — a list
  4. roll — a cake
  5. spring — a coil
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. foot — a measure
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. bass — low music
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — the animal
  12. mate — a friend
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. spring — the season
  16. mate — a partner
  17. bass — the fish
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. spring — of water
  22. mine — for digging
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. mate — to breed

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