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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: mug · cap · lie · pop · spell · fall · nail · lash

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. fall — the season
  3. fall — to drop
  4. mug — a cup
  5. pop — soda
  6. spell — a short time
  7. pop — to visit
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. lie — to recline
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. cap — of ice
  14. spell — magic
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. cap — a lid
  18. cap — a hat
  19. fall — to drop
  20. pop — music
  21. spell — letters
  22. mug — to rob
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lie — an untruth

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