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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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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: bass · wake · face · fall · wound · deal · pound · lie

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. fall — to drop
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. wound — an injury
  6. deal — to handle
  7. wake — a trail
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. fall — the season
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. face — part of the head
  13. pound — a weight
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. bass — low music
  16. bass — the fish
  17. wound — an injury
  18. fall — to drop
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. face — to point toward
  22. face — to confront
  23. lie — to recline
  24. bass — the instrument

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