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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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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 · wind · firm · bore · band · row · file · key

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  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. firm — steady
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. firm — decided
  4. file — a line of people
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. bore — to drill
  7. band — a music group
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. file — a tool
  10. wind — moving air
  11. band — a ring
  12. lie — to recline
  13. bore — to tire
  14. wind — moving air
  15. row — to paddle
  16. key — the most important part
  17. key — for a lock
  18. firm — a company
  19. row — a line
  20. key — in music
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. file — a document
  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