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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 120 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 · straw · prune · land · coach · bore · lie · bank

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. wind — moving air
  3. land — to come down
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. bank — for money
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. land — ground
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. bore — to tire
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. bore — to drill
  16. prune — to trim
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bank — of a river
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. wind — moving air
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. land — a country
  23. lie — to recline
  24. bank — for money

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