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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: band · coach · stock · drill · lie · plane · cabinet · chest

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. drill — the tool
  3. chest — of your body
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. stock — shares
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. band — a ring
  13. drill — army training
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. band — a music group
  16. lie — to recline
  17. plane — a tool
  18. chest — a box
  19. drill — a practice
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. stock — goods
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. chest — of your body

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