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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: track · hide · bound · toast · mine · wake · lie · foot

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. lie — to recline
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. bound — tied together
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. bound — obliged
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. track — a path
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. wake — a trail
  12. foot — a measure
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. bound — certain
  15. track — to keep track
  16. track — a song
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. toast — bread
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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