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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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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: deal · bark · lie · coach · hand · roll · face · stand

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. bark — to shout
  3. stand — to bear
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. deal — to handle
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. face — to point toward
  8. roll — a list
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. hand — help
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. lie — to recline
  17. face — part of the head
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. hand — in cards
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. face — to confront
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. roll — a cake

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