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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: swing · roll · nail · staff · tear · field · foot · lie

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. lie — to recline
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. roll — a list
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — a stick
  9. field — a subject
  10. field — for sport
  11. tear — from crying
  12. foot — a measure
  13. swing — in golf
  14. swing — music
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. tear — from crying
  17. roll — a cake
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. tear — to rip
  21. swing — to play on
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. field — farmland
  24. staff — employees

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