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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.

Make a worksheet

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: lean · bass · rash · coach · chest · clip · lie · arm

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. clip — to cut
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lean — to bend
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. rash — a series
  9. chest — of your body
  10. clip — a video
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. clip — for paper
  13. lie — to recline
  14. bass — low music
  15. chest — a box
  16. lean — thin
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. rash — hasty
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. arm — part of the body

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