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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
468
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: drill · degree · lie · lean · spring · stick · land · racket

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. spring — of water
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. drill — army training
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. drill — a practice
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. degree — from a university
  11. land — a country
  12. spring — a coil
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. degree — an amount
  15. spring — the season
  16. land — to come down
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. lean — to bend
  19. drill — the tool
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. land — ground
  23. degree — temperature
  24. lean — thin

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