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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: tear · wind · calf · cabinet · club · coach

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. club — for dancing
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. tear — to rip
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. club — for golf
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. tear — from crying
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. wind — moving air
  17. club — a group
  18. cabinet — ministers

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