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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 120 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: mug · band · cabinet · fork · present · lie · fall · kid

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. fall — the season
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. band — a ring
  6. present — the time now
  7. fork — in a road
  8. fall — to drop
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. fall — to drop
  11. present — a gift
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. kid — child
  14. lie — to recline
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. present — there
  17. mug — to rob
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. mug — a face
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. band — a music group
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. kid — to tease

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