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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: hand · stick · mine · bound · bowl · coach · march · lean

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. lean — to bend
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. march — the month
  5. march — the month
  6. bound — obliged
  7. hand — help
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. lean — thin
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. mine — for digging
  13. hand — in cards
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. bound — certain
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. bound — tied together
  19. march — music
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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