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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 116 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: plane · fine · kid · coach · swing · prune · lie · tear

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  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. lie — an untruth
  2. tear — from crying
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. fine — all right
  6. fine — high quality
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. swing — to play on
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. plane — a tool
  12. prune — to trim
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. swing — in golf
  16. prune — to trim
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. kid — child
  19. tear — to rip
  20. lie — to recline
  21. kid — to tease
  22. swing — music
  23. tear — from crying
  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