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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: coach · row · hand · track · tear · lie · stem · ruler

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. track — to keep track
  5. tear — to rip
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. track — a song
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — from crying
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. row — a line
  15. lie — to recline
  16. hand — in cards
  17. row — to paddle
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. track — a path
  20. hand — help
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. stem — of a plant

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