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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: tear · club · rock · coach · bear · bat · straw · date

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bear — the animal
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. club — a group
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — from crying
  12. rock — music
  13. bat — the animal
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. club — for golf
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. tear — to rip
  21. club — for dancing
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. rock — a stone
  24. date — the fruit

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