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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: shower · pop · pit · coach · lie · stand · race · lean

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  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. lean — to bend
  2. shower — rain
  3. pop — soda
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. stand — to bear
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. race — the arms race
  9. race — a contest
  10. pit — in a race
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. pit — a hole
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. pop — music
  18. lean — thin
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. race — humankind
  21. shower — to wash
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. pop — to visit
  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