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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: straw · ground · staff · bound · cell · bore · lie · coach

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. ground — a position
  4. bound — certain
  5. cell — a phone
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. bound — obliged
  11. staff — employees
  12. bound — tied together
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. lie — to recline
  15. staff — employees
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. ground — crushed
  19. cell — in biology
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bore — to tire
  22. staff — a stick
  23. ground — the earth
  24. lie — an untruth

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