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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: mate · bass · cabinet · face · rest · present · pop · spring

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. present — there
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. pop — to visit
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. spring — the season
  7. bass — low music
  8. pop — soda
  9. present — a gift
  10. spring — of water
  11. bass — the fish
  12. present — the time now
  13. face — to confront
  14. mate — a friend
  15. rest — what's left
  16. face — to point toward
  17. face — part of the head
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. rest — what's left
  20. mate — a partner
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. mate — to breed
  23. spring — a coil
  24. rest — a break

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