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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: wound · fan · ball · lean · field · pitch · bound · drill

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. pitch — completely
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. ball — a great time
  8. field — for sport
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. drill — army training
  12. field — a subject
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. ball — a dance
  15. drill — a practice
  16. field — farmland
  17. bound — obliged
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. lean — to bend
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bound — certain
  22. bound — tied together
  23. wound — an injury
  24. lean — thin

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