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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: march · game · spell · arm · leaves · fall · lie · wake

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. spell — a short time
  4. march — the month
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. march — music
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. fall — the season
  9. game — wild animals
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. lie — to recline
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. fall — to drop
  15. spell — magic
  16. game — a match
  17. spell — letters
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. wake — a trail
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. march — the month
  24. fall — to drop

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