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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: bark · staff · lie · snap · bass · ball · roll · wound

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bass — low music
  3. ball — a dance
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. lie — to recline
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. roll — a list
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. ball — a great time
  16. bark — to shout
  17. snap — to click
  18. staff — employees
  19. wound — an injury
  20. staff — employees
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. roll — a cake
  24. staff — a stick

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