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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: lie · wound · hand · can · field · drill · foot · squash

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. wound — an injury
  3. field — for sport
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. field — farmland
  6. squash — the sport
  7. foot — a measure
  8. hand — in cards
  9. drill — the tool
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. can — a tin
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. can — to be able to
  16. field — a subject
  17. lie — to recline
  18. drill — a practice
  19. drill — army training
  20. can — a tin
  21. squash — to crush
  22. wound — an injury
  23. hand — help
  24. foot — the bottom

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