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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: rush · bass · band · spring · wake · lie · chair · bowl

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. spring — the season
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. band — a ring
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. bass — low music
  11. band — a music group
  12. lie — to recline
  13. rush — hurry
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. wake — a trail
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. spring — a coil
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. spring — of water
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. lie — an untruth

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