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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: fall · prune · bound · cap · lash · bank · lie · foot

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. cap — a hat
  3. foot — a measure
  4. bound — tied together
  5. cap — of ice
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. prune — to trim
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. bank — of a river
  11. fall — the season
  12. bound — certain
  13. bank — for money
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bound — obliged
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. prune — to trim
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. lie — to recline
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. bank — for money
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. cap — a lid
  24. lie — an untruth

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