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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: cabinet · fall · bowl · wake · squash · drill · firm · lie

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. fall — to drop
  6. squash — to crush
  7. fall — the season
  8. squash — the sport
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. wake — a trail
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. drill — the tool
  16. drill — a practice
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. lie — to recline
  19. drill — army training
  20. firm — decided
  21. firm — steady
  22. fall — to drop
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. lie — an untruth

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