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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 120 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: race · bear · kick · stem · pass · court · coach · tear

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. tear — from crying
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. court — of a king
  5. bear — the animal
  6. court — for sport
  7. stem — to come from
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. pass — a permit
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. race — a contest
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. tear — from crying
  14. kick — in football
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. race — humankind
  19. tear — to rip
  20. bear — the animal
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. court — of law
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. race — the arms race

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