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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: mine · bass · pitcher · lash · date · deal · bound · saw

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  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. date — on the calendar
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bound — obliged
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. bound — certain
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bass — low music
  12. bound — tied together
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. saw — the tool
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. date — the fruit
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bass — the fish
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. deal — to handle
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  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