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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: lie · shower · staff · rock · rest · march · spring · dip

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. spring — the season
  3. dip — to sink
  4. spring — of water
  5. staff — employees
  6. march — the month
  7. rock — music
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. shower — to wash
  11. rock — a stone
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — a stick
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. march — the month
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. lie — to recline
  20. march — music
  21. rest — what's left
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. rest — a break
  24. shower — rain

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