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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: lie · hand · bass · mate · coach · bank · march · swing

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. swing — music
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — to recline
  5. swing — in golf
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. mate — to breed
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bass — low music
  10. mate — a partner
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. hand — in cards
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. bank — for money
  15. hand — help
  16. march — music
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. mate — a friend
  19. swing — to play on
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. march — the month
  22. bank — of a river
  23. march — the month
  24. bass — the fish

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