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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: lie · hide · land · pop · object · saw · bass · club

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. bass — low music
  3. lie — to recline
  4. land — to come down
  5. land — ground
  6. bass — the fish
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. object — to protest
  9. saw — the tool
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. club — for golf
  12. pop — music
  13. pop — soda
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. object — a thing
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. club — for dancing
  19. pop — to visit
  20. club — a group
  21. saw — the tool
  22. object — an aim
  23. land — a country
  24. hide — to keep secret

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