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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: pound · bear · chair · foot · wound · lie · bass · key

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. chair — a leader
  3. lie — to recline
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. bear — the animal
  7. wound — an injury
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. pound — a weight
  12. bear — the animal
  13. foot — a measure
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. wound — an injury
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. bass — low music
  19. key — the most important part
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. key — for a lock
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. bass — the fish

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