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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 120 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: row · lie · kick · race · band · saw · fall · staff

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. saw — the tool
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. lie — to recline
  5. fall — to drop
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. race — the arms race
  8. staff — employees
  9. band — a ring
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. row — a line
  13. band — a music group
  14. fall — to drop
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. race — a contest
  18. row — to paddle
  19. kick — in football
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. fall — the season
  23. staff — employees
  24. staff — a stick

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