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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: club · key · hand · lean · bass · land · band · date

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. land — a country
  3. hand — in cards
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. club — a group
  7. club — for golf
  8. band — a music group
  9. bass — the fish
  10. date — the fruit
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. key — for a lock
  13. lean — to bend
  14. land — to come down
  15. key — the most important part
  16. club — for dancing
  17. band — a ring
  18. hand — help
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. lean — thin
  21. bass — low music
  22. land — ground
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. hand — part of the body

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