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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 112 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: cap · drill · wave · bark · last · fall · kick · lie

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. fall — to drop
  3. drill — a practice
  4. cap — a lid
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. bark — to shout
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. cap — of ice
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. drill — army training
  13. last — final
  14. fall — to drop
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. drill — the tool
  17. kick — in football
  18. last — to go on
  19. lie — to recline
  20. last — finally
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. cap — a hat

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