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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
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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 · snap · cell · wound · key · lie · fan · lean

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. key — in music
  3. key — for a lock
  4. field — a subject
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. cell — in biology
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. field — for sport
  9. wound — an injury
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. cell — a phone
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. wound — an injury
  16. lie — to recline
  17. field — farmland
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. lean — thin
  21. key — the most important part
  22. snap — to click
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. lean — to bend

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