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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: bound · net · file · row · suit · field · coach · tear

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  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. tear — to rip
  2. file — a document
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. suit — in cards
  5. field — for sport
  6. file — a line of people
  7. net — for catching
  8. suit — clothes
  9. bound — certain
  10. bound — obliged
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. row — to paddle
  13. tear — from crying
  14. suit — to fit
  15. file — a tool
  16. row — a line
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. field — farmland
  20. net — in sport
  21. bound — tied together
  22. net — after costs
  23. field — a subject
  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