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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: season · ball · wake · lie · hand · pop · straw · roll

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. season — in sport
  8. roll — a cake
  9. roll — a list
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. pop — music
  12. pop — to visit
  13. hand — help
  14. lie — to recline
  15. ball — a dance
  16. wake — a trail
  17. ball — a great time
  18. pop — soda
  19. hand — in cards
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. season — of the year

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