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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: fan · last · wind · bass · pop · mate · dip · march

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. mate — a partner
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. bass — the fish
  6. last — finally
  7. march — music
  8. last — to go on
  9. bass — low music
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. dip — to sink
  12. pop — music
  13. march — the month
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. last — final
  17. wind — moving air
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. mate — to breed
  20. pop — soda
  21. mate — a friend
  22. pop — to visit
  23. march — the month
  24. wind — moving air

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