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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 116 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: leaves · wind · ground · coach · pit · lie · bear · root

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. wind — moving air
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. lie — to recline
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. ground — a position
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. pit — a hole
  13. root — the cause
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. root — of a word
  16. pit — in a race
  17. root — of a plant
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bear — the animal
  20. ground — the earth
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. coach — a trainer

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