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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: present · last · tear · coach · deal · stock · bark · lie

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. present — a gift
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — to recline
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. tear — to rip
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bark — to shout
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. tear — from crying
  12. deal — to handle
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. present — the time now
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. stock — shares
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. last — finally
  20. last — to go on
  21. stock — goods
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. last — final
  24. present — there

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