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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: lie · clip · saw · bore · can · pitcher · hand · foot

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. bore — to tire
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bore — to drill
  6. lie — to recline
  7. clip — to cut
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — to be able to
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. clip — a video
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. foot — a measure
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. clip — for paper
  22. saw — the tool
  23. hand — help
  24. can — a tin

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