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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: cue · band · lie · lean · pitcher · rush · coach · kid

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. rush — hurry
  3. cue — a hint
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. kid — child
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. band — a ring
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. lean — thin
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. cue — for pool
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lean — to bend
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. kid — to tease
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. lie — to recline
  23. cue — a signal
  24. band — a music group

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