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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: lie · leaves · bowl · mine · bore · chip · fall · bass

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bass — the fish
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. mine — for digging
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bore — to tire
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. chip — to eat
  14. chip — for betting
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. lie — to recline
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. fall — to drop
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. bore — to drill
  23. bass — low music
  24. fall — the season

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