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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.

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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: key · temple · firm · club · wake · land · bass · net

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. firm — steady
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. club — a group
  5. key — in music
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. club — for golf
  8. bass — low music
  9. land — a country
  10. wake — a trail
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. net — for catching
  13. club — for dancing
  14. key — the most important part
  15. net — in sport
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. net — after costs
  18. land — ground
  19. key — for a lock
  20. land — to come down
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. bass — the fish
  23. firm — decided
  24. firm — a company

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