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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 · fall · net · spell · mine · fork · bowl · lie

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. kid — to tease
  7. spell — a short time
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. spell — letters
  11. net — after costs
  12. fall — the season
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. fall — to drop
  15. kid — child
  16. spell — magic
  17. net — in sport
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. fork — in a road
  20. net — for catching
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. mine — for digging
  23. lie — to recline
  24. bowl — a football final

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