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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: last · row · hide · fall · mine · wind · staff · dip

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. row — to paddle
  6. staff — a stick
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. fall — the season
  9. last — to go on
  10. dip — to sink
  11. last — finally
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — employees
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. fall — to drop
  19. mine — for digging
  20. fall — to drop
  21. wind — moving air
  22. row — a line
  23. wind — moving air
  24. row — a quarrel

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