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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pop · staff · face · net · fork · straw · lie · wound

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  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. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. net — for catching
  3. wound — an injury
  4. pop — to visit
  5. staff — employees
  6. face — to confront
  7. wound — an injury
  8. pop — music
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. face — to point toward
  11. pop — soda
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. net — after costs
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. face — part of the head
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. staff — employees
  18. fork — in a road
  19. net — in sport
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. staff — a stick
  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