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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: racket · lean · drill · can · field · hand · straw · foot

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. hand — help
  3. can — a tin
  4. drill — army training
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. can — to be able to
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. can — a tin
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. lean — thin
  12. lean — to bend
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. hand — in cards
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. field — a subject
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. field — for sport
  19. foot — a measure
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. field — farmland
  23. drill — the tool
  24. foot — the bottom

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