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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. wake — a trail
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. fine — all right
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. dip — to sink
  12. spring — a coil
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. pass — a permit
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. spring — of water
  19. fine — high quality
  20. stem — to come from
  21. spring — the season
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. lie — to recline
  24. stem — of a plant

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