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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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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: pound · wind · wake · cabinet · hand · present · lie · firm

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. wake — a trail
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. firm — decided
  6. hand — help
  7. present — a gift
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. present — the time now
  10. wind — moving air
  11. hand — in cards
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. pound — a weight
  18. firm — steady
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. present — there
  22. lie — to recline
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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