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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 116 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: pop · bound · fall · bass · sharp · press · wake · lie

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. bound — tied together
  4. press — to push
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. press — a publisher
  7. pop — soda
  8. lie — to recline
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bass — the fish
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. pop — to visit
  13. bass — low music
  14. fall — the season
  15. fall — to drop
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. pop — music
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. wake — a trail
  20. press — newspapers
  21. bound — obliged
  22. sharp — clever
  23. bound — certain
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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