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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. spring — of water
  3. swing — music
  4. bass — low music
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. file — a line of people
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. spring — a coil
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. swing — to play on
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bound — certain
  16. file — a tool
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. lie — to recline
  19. bound — obliged
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. file — a document
  22. bass — the fish
  23. spring — the season
  24. swing — in golf

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