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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: dip · mine · saw · drill · lie · wind · fork · band

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. mine — for digging
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. wind — moving air
  7. drill — the tool
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. drill — army training
  11. saw — the tool
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. lie — to recline
  14. drill — a practice
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. dip — to sink
  18. band — a ring
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. saw — the tool
  21. fork — in a road
  22. wind — moving air
  23. band — a music group
  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