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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: roll · court · lash · drill · prune · bass · land · lie

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. drill — a practice
  3. court — for sport
  4. land — to come down
  5. roll — a cake
  6. bass — the fish
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. drill — the tool
  11. drill — army training
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. lie — to recline
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. prune — to trim
  17. court — of law
  18. land — a country
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bass — low music
  21. court — of a king
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. land — ground

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