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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: hide · bound · field · row · drill · fall · swing · lie

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. bound — tied together
  3. fall — to drop
  4. row — to paddle
  5. lie — to recline
  6. swing — to play on
  7. field — a subject
  8. row — a line
  9. swing — music
  10. swing — in golf
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. bound — certain
  13. bound — obliged
  14. fall — to drop
  15. field — for sport
  16. field — farmland
  17. drill — army training
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. drill — a practice
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. fall — the season

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