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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 · straw · root · press · coach · hide · chest · date

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. root — of a word
  4. press — newspapers
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. date — the fruit
  8. root — the cause
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. chest — of your body
  11. lie — to recline
  12. press — to push
  13. press — a publisher
  14. root — of a plant
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. chest — a box
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. chest — of your body
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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