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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: race · pound · lie · stand · toast · coach · wound · shower

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. wound — an injury
  3. stand — to bear
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. pound — a weight
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. shower — rain
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. race — the arms race
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. wound — an injury
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. toast — bread
  20. race — humankind
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. race — a contest
  23. lie — to recline
  24. shower — to wash

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