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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 120 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 · wound · bore · court · bark · season · pit · bass

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. pit — in a race
  3. bore — to drill
  4. lie — to recline
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. court — of law
  9. season — of the year
  10. pit — a hole
  11. bore — to tire
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. court — of a king
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bass — low music
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. court — for sport
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. season — in sport
  22. bark — to shout
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. bore — gave birth

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