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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: capital · coach · pop · toast · stand · lean · lie · bass

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  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. coach — pulled by horses
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. pop — to visit
  4. toast — bread
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. pop — music
  8. capital — a city
  9. lean — to bend
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. pop — soda
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. lean — thin
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bass — the fish
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. bass — low music
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. capital — money
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. stand — to bear
  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