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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: rest · trunk · pop · lie · bass · spring · key · cold

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. spring — the season
  3. pop — music
  4. spring — a coil
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — to recline
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. pop — to visit
  11. bass — the fish
  12. rest — what's left
  13. cold — not warm
  14. spring — of water
  15. key — the most important part
  16. cold — an illness
  17. key — for a lock
  18. key — in music
  19. rest — a break
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. pop — soda
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. rest — what's left
  24. bass — low 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