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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 120 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: lie · coach · can · fall · lash · row · kid · wax

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. kid — to tease
  3. fall — to drop
  4. row — to paddle
  5. can — a tin
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. can — to be able to
  12. lie — to recline
  13. fall — the season
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. row — a line
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. fall — to drop
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. kid — child
  23. can — a tin
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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