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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.

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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: field · kid · stand · current · drill · lie

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. stand — to bear
  3. drill — a practice
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. current — electric
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. kid — child
  9. lie — to recline
  10. drill — the tool
  11. current — happening now
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. kid — to tease
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. current — of water
  16. field — farmland
  17. field — a subject
  18. field — for sport

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