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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: lie · scale · bark · rash · field · drill · mine · bore

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. field — a subject
  4. drill — army training
  5. mine — for digging
  6. scale — in music
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. scale — size or range
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. field — farmland
  13. rash — hasty
  14. drill — a practice
  15. rash — a series
  16. bore — to drill
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. field — for sport
  21. bark — to shout
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. drill — the tool

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