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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.

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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 · band · hand · wave · lie · pit · ball · lean

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. ball — a dance
  3. ball — a great time
  4. band — a ring
  5. lean — to bend
  6. lean — thin
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. pit — in a race
  9. pit — a hole
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. band — a music group
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. bass — low music
  19. hand — in cards
  20. bass — the fish
  21. lie — to recline
  22. hand — help
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. ball — a round shape

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