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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 120 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: bear · drill · field · lie · scale · foot

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. field — for sport
  3. bear — the animal
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. drill — army training
  6. field — farmland
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. drill — a practice
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. field — a subject
  12. lie — to recline
  13. drill — the tool
  14. scale — in music
  15. foot — a measure
  16. scale — size or range
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bear — to put up with

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