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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: bank · wake · wound · pop · kick · bass · lie · game

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. pop — music
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. game — a match
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. bass — low music
  7. lie — to recline
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bank — of a river
  11. wound — an injury
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. kick — in football
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wake — a trail
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. game — wild animals
  20. bank — for money
  21. pop — soda
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. pop — to visit

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