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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

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: lie · rash · spell · cell · land · spring · stand · chair

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. land — ground
  3. stand — to bear
  4. cell — a phone
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. chair — a leader
  8. land — to come down
  9. lie — to recline
  10. spring — of water
  11. spell — letters
  12. cell — in biology
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. spell — a short time
  18. spring — the season
  19. rash — a series
  20. spell — magic
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. spring — a coil
  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