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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: ball · leaves · lie · arm · spring · bass · drill · tear

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. bass — the fish
  3. spring — of water
  4. tear — from crying
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. tear — to rip
  11. ball — a dance
  12. drill — a practice
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. drill — army training
  15. spring — a coil
  16. ball — a great time
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. lie — to recline
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. tear — from crying
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. drill — the tool
  24. bass — low music

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