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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: face · fall · lie · chest · bore · suit · hand · shower

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — the season
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. hand — in cards
  5. bore — to tire
  6. chest — a box
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. fall — to drop
  9. face — to point toward
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. face — to confront
  12. shower — rain
  13. bore — to drill
  14. shower — to wash
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. suit — to fit
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. suit — in cards
  19. suit — clothes
  20. chest — of your body
  21. hand — help
  22. face — part of the head
  23. chest — of your body
  24. lie — to recline

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