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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: perch · dip · snap · temple · lie · drill · wind · row

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. drill — a practice
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. row — a line
  6. wind — moving air
  7. drill — the tool
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. row — to paddle
  10. snap — to click
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. perch — the fish
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. dip — to sink
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. wind — moving air
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. drill — army training
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. dip — to dunk

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