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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: coach · lie · plane · fork · chest · straw · bank · bark

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. bank — for money
  3. chest — a box
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. plane — a tool
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. bank — of a river
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. chest — of your body
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. fork — in a road
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bark — to shout
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. chest — of your body
  22. lie — to recline
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. bank — for money

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