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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: chip · lie · dip · nail · wound · press · fall · wake

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. press — newspapers
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. wound — an injury
  7. press — to push
  8. press — a publisher
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — to drop
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. dip — to sink
  16. chip — to eat
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. wake — a trail
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. chip — for betting
  23. lie — to recline
  24. nail — on a finger

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