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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 · bear · mine · wind · arm · pass · rash · race

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. race — the arms race
  3. race — a contest
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. rash — a series
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. wind — moving air
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. bear — the animal
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. pass — a permit
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bear — the animal
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. wind — moving air
  20. rash — hasty
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. race — humankind
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. wind — to turn a key

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