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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: object · tube · coach · swing · rest · straw · degree · lie

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. degree — from a university
  3. rest — a break
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. rest — what's left
  7. degree — temperature
  8. swing — to play on
  9. tube — a container
  10. tube — the underground
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. degree — an amount
  17. rest — what's left
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. swing — in golf
  21. object — an aim
  22. object — to protest
  23. object — a thing
  24. swing — music

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