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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: kid · saw · roll · arm · wake · spring · season · lie

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. spring — of water
  3. lie — to recline
  4. saw — the tool
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. spring — a coil
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. roll — a cake
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. kid — to tease
  18. spring — the season
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. season — in sport
  21. kid — child
  22. saw — the tool
  23. roll — a list
  24. season — of the year

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