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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: board · wind · swing · fall · lie · capital · can · drill

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. can — to be able to
  3. can — a tin
  4. lie — to recline
  5. can — a tin
  6. swing — music
  7. drill — a practice
  8. fall — the season
  9. wind — moving air
  10. fall — to drop
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. board — a committee
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. capital — a city
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. swing — in golf
  18. board — to get on
  19. capital — money
  20. swing — to play on
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. wind — moving air
  23. fall — to drop
  24. drill — army training

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