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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: jam · coach · lie · net · ground · bore · field · plane

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. lie — to recline
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. ground — crushed
  5. plane — a tool
  6. bore — to drill
  7. ground — the earth
  8. ground — a position
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. net — for catching
  11. net — after costs
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. field — a subject
  14. net — in sport
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. field — for sport
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. field — farmland
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. bore — to tire

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