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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bear · lie · nail · wound · hand · drill · swing · bowl

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. wound — an injury
  3. swing — in golf
  4. swing — to play on
  5. hand — help
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. drill — the tool
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. wound — an injury
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. lie — to recline
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. hand — in cards
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. drill — a practice
  18. bear — the animal
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. bear — the animal
  22. swing — music
  23. drill — army training
  24. bowl — a football final

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