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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 120 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. lie — to recline
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. chest — of your body
  5. wake — a trail
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. row — a line
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. rush — hurry
  12. bulb — for light
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. row — to paddle
  15. band — a ring
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. chest — a box
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. bulb — for light
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. chest — of your body
  23. band — a music group
  24. lie — an untruth

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