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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: mug · mine · key · tear · pop · band · date · bass

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. mug — a cup
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bass — the fish
  5. tear — from crying
  6. mug — a face
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. key — the most important part
  9. key — in music
  10. mine — for digging
  11. bass — low music
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. band — a music group
  14. pop — to visit
  15. tear — from crying
  16. pop — soda
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. date — the fruit
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. mug — to rob
  22. key — for a lock
  23. band — a ring
  24. tear — to rip

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