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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: field · mug · lie · hand · fork · present · bore · pop

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. field — for sport
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. hand — help
  6. pop — to visit
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. mug — to rob
  10. bore — to tire
  11. hand — in cards
  12. bore — to drill
  13. pop — soda
  14. present — the time now
  15. present — a gift
  16. pop — music
  17. fork — in a road
  18. field — a subject
  19. lie — to recline
  20. mug — a cup
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. field — farmland
  23. present — there
  24. bore — gave birth

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