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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.

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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: march · deal · field · tube · lie · mouse · hand · bank

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bank — of a river
  4. hand — in cards
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. field — farmland
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. tube — the underground
  10. hand — help
  11. march — the month
  12. field — for sport
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. tube — a container
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. field — a subject
  18. bank — for money
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. march — the month
  21. bank — for money
  22. lie — to recline
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. march — music

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