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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: game · lie · hide · club · spring · current · deal · lean

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. club — a group
  5. current — of water
  6. spring — the season
  7. game — wild animals
  8. lie — to recline
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. game — a match
  11. spring — of water
  12. current — electric
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. club — for golf
  16. current — happening now
  17. deal — to handle
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. spring — a coil
  20. lean — thin
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. club — for dancing
  24. lean — to bend

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