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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: hand · march · pop · bass · lie · mark · ball · lean

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. march — the month
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. hand — help
  5. ball — a great time
  6. mark — a trace
  7. march — music
  8. march — the month
  9. hand — in cards
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. bass — low music
  12. mark — a grade
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. pop — soda
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. pop — music
  18. lie — to recline
  19. lean — to bend
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. pop — to visit
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. bass — the fish
  24. ball — a dance

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