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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: mine · drill · stick · bass · rock · hide · rush · lean

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. drill — army training
  5. rush — hurry
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. mine — for digging
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. drill — a practice
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. drill — the tool
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. rock — a stone
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. lean — to bend
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. lean — thin
  24. rock — music

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