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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 120 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: ruler · lie · coach · rash · bass · hand · land · clip

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. clip — to cut
  6. rash — a series
  7. clip — a video
  8. rash — hasty
  9. clip — for paper
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. lie — to recline
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. hand — in cards
  15. land — ground
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. bass — the fish
  18. land — a country
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. land — to come down
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. hand — help
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. coach — a trainer

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