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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 120 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: dip · spring · lie · track · pop · kick · ruler · cell

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. cell — in biology
  4. pop — music
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. track — to keep track
  9. cell — a phone
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. dip — to sink
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. track — a path
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. spring — a coil
  16. pop — soda
  17. pop — to visit
  18. kick — in football
  19. spring — the season
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. track — a song
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. spring — of water

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