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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fork · wound · lie · squash · drill · present · lean · track

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. track — to keep track
  4. wound — an injury
  5. squash — the sport
  6. drill — the tool
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. drill — a practice
  9. squash — to crush
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. present — there
  13. fork — in a road
  14. lean — thin
  15. present — the time now
  16. lean — to bend
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. track — a song
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. lie — to recline
  21. present — a gift
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. drill — army training
  24. wound — an injury

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