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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: pound · rush · wind · lie · coach · bore · cell · field

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. field — farmland
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. wind — moving air
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. cell — in biology
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. bore — to tire
  9. field — for sport
  10. bore — to drill
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. rush — hurry
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. field — a subject
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. lie — to recline
  18. cell — a phone
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. wind — moving air
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. rush — a thrill

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