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

Word bank: coach · ruler · chest · tear · perch · last

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. perch — the fish
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. chest — of your body
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. tear — from crying
  7. chest — of your body
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. chest — a box
  10. last — finally
  11. tear — from crying
  12. last — to go on
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. tear — to rip
  18. coach — a trainer

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