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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: hide · fall · charge · dip · wound · row · cap · lie

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. cap — of ice
  4. fall — to drop
  5. charge — a price
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. wound — an injury
  8. dip — to sink
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. row — to paddle
  12. fall — the season
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. charge — in control
  15. wound — an injury
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. lie — to recline
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. charge — electricity
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. fall — to drop
  23. cap — a lid
  24. cap — a hat

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