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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: foot · wind · fork · ground · wound · lie · hide · scale

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  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. fork — a garden tool
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. wind — moving air
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. scale — in music
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. ground — the earth
  10. wind — moving air
  11. ground — crushed
  12. fork — in a road
  13. scale — size or range
  14. ground — a position
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. lie — to recline
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. foot — a measure
  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