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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: lie · wind · coach · leaves · drill · rock · chest · wound

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. wound — an injury
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. drill — a practice
  8. chest — of your body
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. drill — army training
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. rock — a stone
  15. drill — the tool
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. wound — an injury
  18. chest — of your body
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. rock — music
  21. chest — a box
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — moving air
  24. rock — to move gently

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