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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: coach · lie · swing · mouse · net · wound · tear · mug

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. lie — to recline
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. net — for catching
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. tear — to rip
  10. mug — a cup
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. swing — music
  14. swing — in golf
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — an injury
  18. net — in sport
  19. net — after costs
  20. mug — to rob
  21. tear — from crying
  22. mug — a face
  23. swing — to play on
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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