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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 120 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: field · arm · fine · wake · shower · drill · wound · fall

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. wound — an injury
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. fall — to drop
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. fine — all right
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. fall — the season
  11. wound — an injury
  12. drill — the tool
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. shower — to wash
  15. drill — army training
  16. shower — rain
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. drill — a practice
  19. fine — high quality
  20. field — a subject
  21. field — for sport
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. fall — to drop
  24. field — farmland

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