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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: press · lie · bass · spring · ground · band · arm · rule

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. band — a ring
  3. spring — the season
  4. rule — a law
  5. press — newspapers
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. rule — government
  8. spring — a coil
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. ground — the earth
  12. band — a music group
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. ground — crushed
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. press — to push
  17. bass — low music
  18. press — a publisher
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. bass — the fish
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. ground — a position
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. spring — of water

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