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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 116 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: march · mine · bank · wound · lean · lie · coach · content

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. content — the amount
  5. wound — an injury
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. mine — for digging
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. lean — to bend
  13. march — the month
  14. wound — an injury
  15. content — happy
  16. march — the month
  17. bank — for money
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. lean — thin
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. march — music
  22. bank — of a river
  23. bank — for money
  24. lie — an untruth

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