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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: spring · fall · content · firm · lie · shower · arm · capital

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. fall — the season
  3. shower — to wash
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. content — the amount
  6. capital — money
  7. fall — to drop
  8. capital — a city
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. spring — a coil
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. fall — to drop
  15. shower — rain
  16. firm — steady
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. content — happy
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. spring — of water
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. firm — decided
  23. firm — a company
  24. spring — the season

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