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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: dip · tube · saw · straw · lie · season · fall · wound

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. fall — to drop
  3. season — of the year
  4. fall — the season
  5. tube — the underground
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. wound — an injury
  8. saw — the tool
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. wound — an injury
  12. fall — to drop
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. season — in sport
  18. lie — to recline
  19. dip — to sink
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. saw — the tool
  22. tube — a container
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. lie — an untruth

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