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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: scale · saw · fall · dip · kid · row · mark · lie

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. lie — to recline
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. scale — size or range
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. row — a line
  7. mark — a trace
  8. fall — to drop
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. saw — the tool
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. kid — child
  16. mark — a grade
  17. dip — to sink
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. saw — the tool
  20. fall — to drop
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. fall — the season
  23. scale — in music
  24. kid — to tease

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