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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. bulb — for light
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. hand — help
  7. field — a subject
  8. lie — to recline
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. cap — of ice
  11. field — farmland
  12. hand — in cards
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. wind — moving air
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. cap — a lid
  19. field — for sport
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. cap — a hat
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bulb — for light
  24. wind — moving air

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