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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: pop · march · drill · hide · prune · lean · coach · lie

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. prune — to trim
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — to recline
  5. pop — to visit
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. drill — a practice
  8. march — the month
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. prune — to trim
  12. lean — to bend
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. drill — the tool
  15. march — music
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. drill — army training
  18. pop — music
  19. lean — thin
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. pop — soda
  23. march — the month
  24. prune — the fruit

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