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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: tube · lie · wake · cabinet · net · staff · swing · drill

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  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. drill — a practice
  4. tube — the underground
  5. drill — army training
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. net — for catching
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. wake — a trail
  10. swing — in golf
  11. net — after costs
  12. swing — to play on
  13. net — in sport
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. drill — the tool
  18. staff — a stick
  19. lie — to recline
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. swing — music
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. tube — a container
  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