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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: bore · kid · lie · fall · firm · ground · mug · wind

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. firm — decided
  3. fall — the season
  4. lie — to recline
  5. fall — to drop
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. firm — steady
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. ground — crushed
  10. ground — the earth
  11. mug — to rob
  12. firm — a company
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. ground — a position
  15. mug — a face
  16. wind — moving air
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. mug — a cup
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. kid — child
  21. bore — to tire
  22. kid — to tease
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bore — to drill

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