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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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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: chest · wave · stand · coach · bore · lie · straw · chair

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. chair — a leader
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. stand — to bear
  7. bore — to drill
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. bore — to tire
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. chest — of your body
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. lie — to recline
  21. chest — a box
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. stand — for spectators

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