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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: lie · stand · prune · coach · ball · file · season · mine

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. ball — a dance
  4. season — in sport
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. file — a tool
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. ball — a great time
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — to trim
  12. season — of the year
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. stand — to bear
  15. file — a document
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — to recline
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. file — a line of people

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