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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: ruler · lie · tear · racket · fan · press · hand · field

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. hand — in cards
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — to recline
  12. field — a subject
  13. press — to push
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. press — newspapers
  17. tear — from crying
  18. field — for sport
  19. field — farmland
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. tear — to rip
  22. press — a publisher
  23. tear — from crying
  24. lie — an untruth

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