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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: trunk · bass · mate · mine · ground · lie · lash · march

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. bass — low music
  3. mine — for digging
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. ground — the earth
  6. ground — a position
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. march — the month
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. march — the month
  14. mate — a partner
  15. march — music
  16. mate — to breed
  17. lie — to recline
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. ground — crushed
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. trunk — of a car
  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