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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: bear · stick · lie · wound · bowl · foot · charge · coach

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. charge — a price
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. wound — an injury
  11. charge — electricity
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. foot — a measure
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. bear — the animal
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. charge — in control
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. bear — the animal
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. lie — to recline

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