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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stick · dip · patient · coach · lie · pitcher · fall · lean

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. lean — to bend
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. dip — to sink
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. fall — to drop
  17. lean — thin
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. fall — the season
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. lie — to recline
  22. fall — to drop
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lean — to rest against

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