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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: lie · cap · bass · ground · saw · bore · straw · spring

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bore — to drill
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bass — the fish
  7. ground — the earth
  8. spring — the season
  9. spring — of water
  10. bore — to tire
  11. cap — of ice
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. spring — a coil
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bass — low music
  17. lie — to recline
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. saw — the tool
  20. cap — a lid
  21. saw — the tool
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. ground — crushed
  24. ground — a position

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