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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: saw · fall · mouse · bound · spring · chest · snap · lie

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. bound — tied together
  3. spring — of water
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. bound — certain
  6. fall — the season
  7. fall — to drop
  8. chest — of your body
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. spring — the season
  11. chest — of your body
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. saw — the tool
  16. bound — obliged
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. saw — the tool
  20. spring — a coil
  21. fall — to drop
  22. chest — a box
  23. snap — to click
  24. mouse — the animal

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