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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 120 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: field · chest · lie · shower · can · fan · mouse · prune

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. lie — to recline
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. field — farmland
  6. shower — to wash
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. shower — rain
  10. can — a tin
  11. chest — of your body
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. can — to be able to
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. prune — to trim
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. field — for sport
  20. field — a subject
  21. can — a tin
  22. prune — to trim
  23. chest — of your body
  24. mouse — the animal

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