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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
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: fan · pop · field · row · lash · lie · chest · hide

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. row — a line
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. chest — a box
  5. pop — to visit
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. chest — of your body
  8. field — a subject
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. field — for sport
  11. pop — music
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. row — to paddle
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. pop — soda
  19. lie — to recline
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. field — farmland
  24. chest — of your body

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