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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · row · rock · toast · coach · field · face · wake

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. field — a subject
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. rock — music
  5. row — to paddle
  6. rock — a stone
  7. field — for sport
  8. field — farmland
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. face — to confront
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. face — to point toward
  18. toast — bread
  19. face — part of the head
  20. row — a line
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. wake — a trail
  24. lie — to recline

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