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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: fan · club · mug · mine · file · wind · land · bass

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. mug — a cup
  3. file — a line of people
  4. mug — to rob
  5. club — for golf
  6. wind — moving air
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. wind — moving air
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. file — a tool
  11. mug — a face
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. mine — for digging
  14. land — ground
  15. bass — low music
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. file — a document
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. land — to come down
  21. club — a group
  22. club — for dancing
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. land — a country

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