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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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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. mug — a face
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. swing — music
  7. mug — to rob
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. tear — from crying
  12. mug — a cup
  13. mine — for digging
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. tube — a container
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bank — for money
  18. swing — in golf
  19. tear — to rip
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. bank — for money
  22. swing — to play on
  23. bank — of a river
  24. tube — the underground

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