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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: ruler · coach · roll · chair · rock · tear

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. chair — a leader
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. tear — to rip
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. roll — a list
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — from crying
  12. rock — music
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. rock — a stone

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