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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: swing · perch · rest · plane · lie · coach · staff · field

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. field — a subject
  4. rest — what's left
  5. staff — a stick
  6. rest — a break
  7. swing — in golf
  8. swing — music
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. plane — a tool
  11. field — for sport
  12. lie — to recline
  13. field — farmland
  14. perch — the fish
  15. rest — what's left
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. staff — employees
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. staff — employees
  24. lie — an untruth

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