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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: mug · coach · deal · lie · lean · stem · field · march

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. lie — to recline
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. mug — to rob
  5. march — the month
  6. stem — to come from
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. field — for sport
  9. field — a subject
  10. mug — a cup
  11. field — farmland
  12. march — music
  13. lean — to bend
  14. mug — a face
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. deal — to handle
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. march — the month
  24. stem — a stem cell

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