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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: hand · chest · plane · wake · land · lie · stick · hide

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. land — to come down
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. wake — a trail
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. chest — of your body
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. chest — of your body
  12. lie — to recline
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. land — a country
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hand — help
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. hand — in cards
  20. plane — a tool
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. chest — a box
  23. land — ground
  24. hide — animal skin

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