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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: present · arm · nail · field · cell · scale · lie · mine

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. field — farmland
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. cell — in biology
  8. lie — to recline
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. present — there
  11. field — a subject
  12. mine — for digging
  13. cell — a phone
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. scale — in music
  17. scale — size or range
  18. present — a gift
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. field — for sport

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