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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 120 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: lie · rest · calf · cold · lash · object · field · bound

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. rest — a break
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bound — tied together
  5. object — an aim
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. rest — what's left
  8. object — a thing
  9. cold — an illness
  10. field — for sport
  11. bound — certain
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. field — farmland
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. cold — not warm
  18. rest — what's left
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. object — to protest
  22. field — a subject
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. lash — to lash out

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