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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: dip · field · lie · fork · drill · fan · hide · bore

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. dip — to sink
  5. fork — in a road
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. drill — a practice
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. field — a subject
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. field — for sport
  13. lie — to recline
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. field — farmland
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. bore — to tire
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. drill — army training
  24. bore — to drill

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