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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: wave · can · spring · pitch · hide · lie · bass · safe

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bass — low music
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. spring — of water
  10. can — to be able to
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. can — a tin
  13. pitch — completely
  14. can — a tin
  15. spring — a coil
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. spring — the season
  21. lie — to recline
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  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