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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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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: spring · lie · content · coach · tear · stand · spell · wax

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — to rip
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. lie — to recline
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. spring — of water
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wax — to grow
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. spring — a coil
  13. spell — letters
  14. content — happy
  15. stand — to bear
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. spell — magic
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. tear — from crying
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. spell — a short time
  23. spring — the season
  24. content — the amount

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