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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. saw — the tool
  4. stem — to come from
  5. field — for sport
  6. wound — an injury
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. field — farmland
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. field — a subject
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. snap — to click
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. saw — the tool
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. wound — an injury
  21. hand — in cards
  22. hand — help
  23. lie — to recline
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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