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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: clip · key · lie · roll · tube · face · spring · bass

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. face — to confront
  3. spring — the season
  4. roll — a list
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. tube — a container
  7. roll — a cake
  8. tube — the underground
  9. face — part of the head
  10. spring — a coil
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. key — in music
  13. face — to point toward
  14. key — the most important part
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bass — low music
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. key — for a lock
  21. lie — to recline
  22. clip — a video
  23. spring — of water
  24. clip — to cut

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