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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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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: lie · net · wind · firm · leaves · chip · prune · wound

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. net — for catching
  3. wind — moving air
  4. firm — a company
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. prune — to trim
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. wound — an injury
  10. firm — decided
  11. prune — to trim
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. net — in sport
  14. net — after costs
  15. chip — for betting
  16. firm — steady
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. lie — to recline
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wind — moving air
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. chip — to eat

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