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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: bass · rush · land · coach · rest · trunk · lie · game

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. bass — the fish
  3. lie — to recline
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. rest — what's left
  6. land — a country
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. rest — a break
  9. land — to come down
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rush — hurry
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. bass — low music
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. game — a match
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. game — wild animals

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