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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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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. fall — to drop
  3. file — a line of people
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. file — a document
  8. fall — the season
  9. wax — to grow
  10. file — a tool
  11. lie — to recline
  12. key — for a lock
  13. scale — size or range
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. band — a music group
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. key — in music
  19. band — a ring
  20. key — the most important part
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. scale — in music
  24. bowl — a football final

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