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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: lie · fine · march · coach · straw · stem · hand · drill

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. fine — all right
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. march — music
  9. march — the month
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. fine — high quality
  13. lie — to recline
  14. drill — the tool
  15. hand — in cards
  16. march — the month
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. drill — a practice
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. hand — help
  21. drill — army training
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. stem — to come from
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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