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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.

Make a worksheet

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: bear · bass · sharp · band · mine · squash · rest · hide

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. squash — the sport
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. bass — low music
  5. band — a ring
  6. band — a music group
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. sharp — clever
  10. bear — the animal
  11. rest — what's left
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. bass — the fish
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. squash — to crush
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. rest — a break
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. rest — what's left
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. bear — the animal
  24. mine — for digging

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