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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · straw · bass · lie · spring · calf · land · rash

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. spring — a coil
  3. bass — low music
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. bass — the fish
  8. rash — hasty
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. spring — the season
  15. rash — a series
  16. spring — of water
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. land — to come down
  19. land — ground
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. land — a country
  22. lie — to recline
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. lie — an untruth

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