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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: bowl · lie · lean · field · straw · bank · coach · press

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. press — a publisher
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bank — of a river
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. field — for sport
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. press — newspapers
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. lean — thin
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. lean — to bend
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. bank — for money
  20. field — a subject
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. lie — to recline
  23. field — farmland
  24. press — to push

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