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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 · present · wound · bore · scale · swing · coach · snap

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. swing — in golf
  4. bore — to tire
  5. swing — music
  6. wound — an injury
  7. lie — to recline
  8. present — there
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. swing — to play on
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. snap — to click
  17. scale — size or range
  18. bore — to drill
  19. present — the time now
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. scale — in music
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. present — a gift

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