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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: lie · bound · row · game · snap · dip · staff · wax

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. bound — obliged
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. dip — to sink
  7. wax — to grow
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. bound — tied together
  11. row — to paddle
  12. staff — a stick
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. game — a match
  17. lie — to recline
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. game — wild animals
  20. bound — certain
  21. snap — to click
  22. row — a line
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. staff — employees

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