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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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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: nail · lie · stem · fork · clip · fall · coach · rash

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. rash — a series
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. fork — in a road
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. fall — to drop
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. lie — to recline
  10. stem — to come from
  11. clip — to cut
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. clip — a video
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. rash — hasty
  20. fall — the season
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. clip — for paper
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. nail — for a hammer

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