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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 116 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: lie · fall · present · kick · pop · rush · bear · hide

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. fall — the season
  3. pop — music
  4. rush — hurry
  5. bear — the animal
  6. fall — to drop
  7. pop — soda
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. bear — the animal
  11. present — a gift
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. kick — in football
  15. fall — to drop
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. present — the time now
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. pop — to visit
  23. lie — to recline
  24. present — there

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