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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: straw · field · rest · coach · suit · lie · wound · cap

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. cap — of ice
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. rest — a break
  7. lie — to recline
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. suit — to fit
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. rest — what's left
  12. field — farmland
  13. wound — an injury
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. wound — an injury
  16. field — for sport
  17. suit — clothes
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. suit — in cards
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. cap — a lid
  22. rest — what's left
  23. field — a subject
  24. cap — a hat

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