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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: wound · march · roll · lie · straw · pop · ball · lean

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. ball — a dance
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. pop — to visit
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. march — the month
  7. lean — thin
  8. roll — a list
  9. wound — an injury
  10. roll — a cake
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. pop — soda
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. pop — music
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. march — music
  19. lean — to bend
  20. march — the month
  21. wound — an injury
  22. lie — to recline
  23. ball — a great time
  24. straw — a straw man

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