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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: lie · rule · mine · spring · bass · bore · stick · chair

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. spring — of water
  4. spring — a coil
  5. bass — the fish
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. rule — government
  9. bore — to drill
  10. spring — the season
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. rule — a law
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. lie — to recline
  16. mine — for digging
  17. chair — a leader
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. bore — to tire
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. chair — a professorship

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