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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 · staff · foot · straw · dip · snap · date · plane

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. snap — to click
  3. staff — a stick
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. foot — a measure
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. lie — to recline
  12. plane — a tool
  13. staff — employees
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. date — the fruit
  17. dip — to sink
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. date — on the calendar

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