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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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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: stick · dip · arm · cell · ground · lie · pass · lean

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. pass — a permit
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. ground — a position
  7. ground — the earth
  8. lean — thin
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. lean — to bend
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. ground — crushed
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. lie — to recline
  17. dip — to sink
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. cell — in biology
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. cell — a phone

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