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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: pass · face · coach · staff · present · tube · kid · perch

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — employees
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. kid — child
  7. tube — the underground
  8. face — to confront
  9. present — there
  10. face — to point toward
  11. staff — a stick
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. present — the time now
  14. perch — the fish
  15. present — a gift
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. kid — to tease
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. face — part of the head
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. pass — a permit
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. tube — a container

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