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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · mug · stem · track · wind · bear · tube · game

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. track — a path
  3. tube — the underground
  4. mug — to rob
  5. track — a song
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. lie — to recline
  8. game — wild animals
  9. bear — the animal
  10. mug — a cup
  11. track — to keep track
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. tube — a container
  14. game — a match
  15. wind — moving air
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. mug — a face
  18. stem — to come from
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. wind — moving air
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. bear — the animal

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