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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: stand · ball · roll · chest · bound · lie · prune · last

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. ball — a great time
  3. chest — a box
  4. ball — a dance
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bound — certain
  8. stand — to bear
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. last — final
  11. last — finally
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. chest — of your body
  14. roll — a list
  15. bound — tied together
  16. prune — to trim
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. bound — obliged
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. roll — a cake
  21. last — to go on
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. prune — to trim

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