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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: rock · lie · fall · wound · kid · mouse · nail · row

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. fall — to drop
  4. row — to paddle
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. rock — music
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. fall — the season
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. row — a line
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. kid — to tease
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. lie — to recline
  19. kid — child
  20. wound — an injury
  21. rock — a stone
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. fall — to drop
  24. wound — an injury

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