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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: saw · land · stand · shower · mate · wave · spring · bass

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. bass — low music
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. mate — to breed
  6. stand — to bear
  7. shower — to wash
  8. saw — the tool
  9. shower — rain
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. mate — a partner
  13. spring — of water
  14. bass — the fish
  15. saw — the tool
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. spring — the season
  21. land — a country
  22. spring — a coil
  23. land — to come down
  24. mate — a friend

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