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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: stick · dip · kid · lie · suit · wound · field · plane

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. field — farmland
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. kid — child
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. wound — an injury
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. dip — to sink
  10. kid — to tease
  11. suit — in cards
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. lie — to recline
  14. field — a subject
  15. plane — a tool
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. suit — clothes
  24. field — for sport

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