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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: lie · band · fall · arm · pitcher · jam · file · fork

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lie — to recline
  4. file — a tool
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. band — a music group
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. fall — to drop
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. fork — in a road
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. file — a line of people
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. file — a document
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. band — a ring
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. fall — the season
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. fork — a garden tool

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