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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: fork · pound · lash · fall · scale · lie · charge · field

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  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. fall — to drop
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. field — a subject
  5. field — for sport
  6. charge — a price
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. scale — size or range
  10. charge — in control
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. field — farmland
  15. fall — the season
  16. charge — electricity
  17. scale — in music
  18. fork — in a road
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. pound — a weight
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. lash — to lash out
  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