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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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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: cell · net · spell · squash · lie · dip · wind · staff

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. staff — a stick
  3. spell — magic
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. spell — a short time
  7. spell — letters
  8. net — after costs
  9. cell — in biology
  10. net — in sport
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. dip — to sink
  13. lie — to recline
  14. wind — moving air
  15. staff — employees
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. cell — a phone
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. squash — to crush
  21. wind — moving air
  22. net — for catching
  23. staff — employees
  24. squash — the sport

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