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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 120 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: mate · band · object · bore · face · lean · coach · lie

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. face — to confront
  3. mate — a friend
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. lean — to bend
  6. band — a ring
  7. mate — a partner
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. bore — to drill
  10. face — to point toward
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. face — part of the head
  13. band — a music group
  14. lean — thin
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. object — an aim
  17. lie — to recline
  18. mate — to breed
  19. object — a thing
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bore — to tire
  24. lie — an untruth

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