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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.

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: staff · lash · season · bear · mine · pitcher · coach · lean

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. lean — thin
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. bear — the animal
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. bear — the animal
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. staff — a stick
  17. staff — employees
  18. season — in sport
  19. staff — employees
  20. lean — to bend
  21. season — of the year
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — a trainer

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