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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: lean · cold · lie · bulb · arm · staff · nail · rush

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. staff — employees
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bulb — for light
  8. cold — an illness
  9. staff — employees
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. rush — hurry
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. bulb — for light
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. lean — to bend
  18. cold — not warm
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. lean — thin
  22. lie — to recline
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. staff — a stick

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