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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: fork · lean · key · lie · stick · wave · bound · fine

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. fine — high quality
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. key — in music
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. fork — in a road
  9. lean — to bend
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. key — for a lock
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. key — the most important part
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bound — certain
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. lean — thin
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. lie — to recline
  22. bound — tied together
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. fine — a penalty

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