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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: bore · fall · hand · kick · lie · bass · racket · patient

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. kick — in football
  6. bass — the fish
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. fall — the season
  9. bore — to drill
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. fall — to drop
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. hand — help
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bore — to tire
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. bass — low music
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. hand — in cards
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. patient — a sick person

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