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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: scale · cold · mouse · mine · mate · stem · bass · bound

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mate — a partner
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bound — certain
  6. scale — size or range
  7. cold — an illness
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. bass — low music
  13. cold — not warm
  14. bound — obliged
  15. stem — to come from
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. scale — in music
  20. mate — a friend
  21. mine — for digging
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. bound — tied together

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