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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.

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: pitcher · ball · bore · bass · fine · season · wound · lie

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. ball — a great time
  4. bass — the fish
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. fine — all right
  9. season — in sport
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. fine — high quality
  13. bass — low music
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bore — to tire
  16. season — of the year
  17. lie — to recline
  18. wound — an injury
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. ball — a dance
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. season — to add flavour

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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