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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: lie · cabinet · chest · wave · spell · staff · squash · kid

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. chest — of your body
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. chest — a box
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. kid — to tease
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. kid — child
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. spell — magic
  11. chest — of your body
  12. spell — letters
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. staff — employees
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. squash — the sport
  19. lie — to recline
  20. staff — a stick
  21. squash — to crush
  22. staff — employees
  23. cabinet — ministers
  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