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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 116 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: lie · suit · fall · staff · row · lash · bank · chair

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. bank — for money
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. staff — employees
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. row — to paddle
  8. suit — in cards
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. suit — to fit
  11. bank — of a river
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. fall — to drop
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. fall — the season
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. bank — for money
  18. staff — employees
  19. staff — a stick
  20. suit — clothes
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. fall — to drop
  23. chair — a leader
  24. row — a line

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