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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: tube · dip · trunk · coach · wake · drill · degree · lie

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. drill — a practice
  4. lie — to recline
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. drill — army training
  10. dip — to sink
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. wake — a trail
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. degree — from a university
  16. tube — a container
  17. degree — temperature
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. degree — an amount
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. tube — the underground
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. drill — the tool

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