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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: lie · stand · field · can · fan · hand · wind · bound

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. can — a tin
  3. hand — help
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bound — obliged
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. stand — to bear
  12. wind — moving air
  13. can — a tin
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bound — certain
  16. lie — to recline
  17. field — farmland
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. field — a subject
  21. bound — tied together
  22. field — for sport
  23. hand — in cards
  24. can — to be able to

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