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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: lie · dip · bowl · race · file · prune · can · hand

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. race — humankind
  5. file — a line of people
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. can — to be able to
  11. dip — to sink
  12. file — a document
  13. can — a tin
  14. hand — help
  15. file — a tool
  16. prune — to trim
  17. can — a tin
  18. hand — in cards
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. race — a contest
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. race — the arms race
  24. lie — to recline

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