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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: lie · spring · hide · patient · wake · fall · net · ball

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. fall — the season
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. net — in sport
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. spring — the season
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. net — for catching
  10. wake — a trail
  11. fall — to drop
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. ball — a great time
  16. fall — to drop
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. ball — a dance
  19. spring — of water
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. net — after costs
  23. lie — to recline
  24. spring — a coil

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