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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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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: fan · kid · lie · dip · lean · tube · rush · bound

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. rush — hurry
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. bound — certain
  10. lie — to recline
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. tube — a container
  13. tube — the underground
  14. lean — thin
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. dip — to sink
  17. bound — obliged
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. bound — tied together
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. kid — to tease
  23. lean — to bend
  24. fan — a supporter

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