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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: key · branch · bass · stand · cold · lie · rash · spell

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. spell — a short time
  3. spell — magic
  4. lie — to recline
  5. key — for a lock
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. stand — to bear
  8. key — the most important part
  9. bass — low music
  10. cold — an illness
  11. bass — the fish
  12. rash — a series
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. branch — a division
  15. cold — not warm
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. key — in music
  19. spell — letters
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. rash — hasty
  24. rash — on the skin

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