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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. rash — hasty
  4. board — a committee
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — from crying
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. rash — a series
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. board — to get on
  11. fall — to drop
  12. wake — a trail
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. tear — to rip
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. fall — to drop

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