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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: field · kid · stand · face · lash · lie · shower · coach

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. face — to point toward
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. shower — to wash
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. field — for sport
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. kid — to tease
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. stand — to bear
  15. face — part of the head
  16. lie — to recline
  17. face — to confront
  18. field — a subject
  19. kid — child
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. field — farmland
  24. shower — rain

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