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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.

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: stick · lie · cabinet · hand · roll · saw · spring · fall

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. roll — a list
  4. spring — of water
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. fall — to drop
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. hand — in cards
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. lie — to recline
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. fall — the season
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. saw — the tool
  17. spring — a coil
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. saw — the tool
  22. roll — a cake
  23. fall — to drop
  24. spring — the season

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