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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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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: squash · lie · spring · rest · dip · net · cabinet · cell

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — a break
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. net — in sport
  7. net — after costs
  8. cell — a phone
  9. rest — what's left
  10. dip — to sink
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. squash — the sport
  13. cell — in biology
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. spring — a coil
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. squash — to crush
  20. spring — the season
  21. spring — of water
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. net — for catching

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