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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: lie · pound · bass · march · bore · chair · tube · stock

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. march — the month
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. pound — a weight
  5. bass — low music
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. bore — to drill
  8. stock — goods
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. chair — a leader
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. march — the month
  15. lie — to recline
  16. bore — to tire
  17. stock — shares
  18. bass — the fish
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. tube — the underground
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. tube — a container
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. bass — the instrument

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