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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: cold · mouse · pound · nail · field · lie · plane · pitcher

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. field — for sport
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. lie — to recline
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. plane — a tool
  17. cold — not warm
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. cold — an illness
  20. field — a subject
  21. pound — a weight
  22. field — farmland
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. nail — on a finger

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