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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: stand · row · shower · lie · ground · cell · key · foot

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. row — a line
  4. cell — in biology
  5. ground — the earth
  6. ground — a position
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. row — to paddle
  9. key — the most important part
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. ground — crushed
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. stand — to bear
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. key — for a lock
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. key — in music
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. lie — to recline
  22. foot — a measure
  23. shower — rain
  24. shower — to wash

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