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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: leaves · nail · bore · mug · tear · saw · field · lie

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bore — to drill
  4. saw — the tool
  5. field — farmland
  6. mug — a cup
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. mug — to rob
  10. field — for sport
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. tear — to rip
  16. field — a subject
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. tear — from crying
  19. mug — a face
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. bore — to tire
  22. tear — from crying
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. lie — to recline

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