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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.

Words on the sheet
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 · spring · wave · fall · arm · cue · pitcher · nail

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. lie — to recline
  3. fall — to drop
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. spring — a coil
  9. cue — a hint
  10. spring — of water
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. cue — a signal
  13. fall — to drop
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. fall — the season
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. spring — the season
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. cue — for pool

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