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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: pitcher · bass · spring · hide · straw · drill · lie · chip

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. lie — to recline
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bass — low music
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. drill — army training
  9. bass — the fish
  10. chip — for betting
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. drill — a practice
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. spring — a coil
  17. drill — the tool
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. spring — of water
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. chip — to eat
  24. bass — the instrument

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