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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 · mark · hand · bat · bound · coach · lash · current

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. current — electric
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. hand — help
  5. mark — a grade
  6. bound — tied together
  7. mark — a trace
  8. tear — from crying
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. current — happening now
  11. current — of water
  12. bound — obliged
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. tear — to rip
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. bound — certain
  22. bat — the animal
  23. hand — in cards
  24. tear — from crying

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