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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: tear · bore · board · pitch · drill · lie · field · lean

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. lie — to recline
  3. drill — the tool
  4. bore — to tire
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bore — to drill
  7. board — to get on
  8. board — a committee
  9. field — farmland
  10. tear — from crying
  11. field — for sport
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. field — a subject
  18. drill — a practice
  19. tear — to rip
  20. drill — army training
  21. pitch — completely
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. lean — to bend
  24. lie — an untruth

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