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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bass · spring · face · drill · stick · march · mug · lie

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. face — to point toward
  3. march — the month
  4. lie — to recline
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. spring — a coil
  7. spring — of water
  8. mug — a cup
  9. bass — low music
  10. drill — a practice
  11. march — music
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. face — to confront
  14. drill — the tool
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. spring — the season
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. face — part of the head
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. bass — the fish
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. mug — a face
  23. drill — army training
  24. march — the month

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