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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: dip · key · cold · row · scale · wound · lie · pound

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. dip — to sink
  3. scale — in music
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. scale — size or range
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. row — to paddle
  10. key — in music
  11. wound — an injury
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. wound — an injury
  14. key — for a lock
  15. row — a line
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. key — the most important part
  18. pound — a weight
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. lie — to recline
  21. cold — an illness
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. cold — not warm
  24. scale — for weighing

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