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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: fan · bear · wake · press · mine · hand · lie · foot

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. press — newspapers
  8. press — to push
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. hand — in cards
  12. wake — a trail
  13. bear — the animal
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. bear — the animal
  16. foot — a measure
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. press — a publisher
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. mine — for digging
  23. hand — help
  24. lie — to recline

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