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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 120 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: lie · bear · band · charge · stick · coach · cue · hide

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. cue — a signal
  4. cue — for pool
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. charge — electricity
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. lie — to recline
  9. charge — in control
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. charge — a price
  12. bear — the animal
  13. band — a ring
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. cue — a hint
  17. band — a music group
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. bear — the animal
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. coach — a trainer

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