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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: bore · hand · degree · lie · kid · pitcher · lean · coach

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bore — to drill
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. hand — in cards
  8. lean — to bend
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. kid — child
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. lean — thin
  14. degree — temperature
  15. degree — from a university
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. lie — to recline
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. kid — to tease
  22. degree — an amount
  23. bore — to tire
  24. hand — help

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