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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: row · temple · spring · hide · tube · lie · fan · stick

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. tube — a container
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. spring — of water
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. tube — the underground
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. row — a line
  18. row — to paddle
  19. spring — a coil
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. lie — to recline
  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