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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
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: lie · mine · coach · hand · face · perch · degree · bank

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. face — to point toward
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. perch — the fish
  6. hand — help
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. bank — for money
  9. mine — for digging
  10. lie — to recline
  11. degree — an amount
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. face — to confront
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. face — part of the head
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. hand — in cards
  19. degree — from a university
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. bank — of a river
  22. degree — temperature
  23. bank — for money
  24. mine — belonging to me

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