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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: lie · band · hand · wake · bear · land · net · last

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. land — to come down
  3. last — finally
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. band — a music group
  7. net — after costs
  8. bear — the animal
  9. hand — in cards
  10. last — to go on
  11. band — a ring
  12. wake — a trail
  13. lie — to recline
  14. bear — the animal
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. land — a country
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. net — in sport
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. net — for catching
  21. hand — help
  22. last — final
  23. land — ground
  24. wake — before a funeral

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