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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: wind · cabinet · coach · leaves · lie · game · land · hand

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. hand — help
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. lie — to recline
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. hand — in cards
  10. land — ground
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. wind — moving air
  13. game — wild animals
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. land — to come down
  21. wind — moving air
  22. game — a match
  23. land — a country
  24. game — a kind of play

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