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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: can · lie · spring · cue · face · hand · staff · wake

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. face — to point toward
  3. can — a tin
  4. spring — a coil
  5. face — part of the head
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. face — to confront
  8. staff — a stick
  9. hand — in cards
  10. can — to be able to
  11. lie — to recline
  12. spring — the season
  13. cue — for pool
  14. staff — employees
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. can — a tin
  17. cue — a hint
  18. wake — a trail
  19. hand — help
  20. staff — employees
  21. spring — of water
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. cue — a signal
  24. hand — part of the body

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