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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: spell · tear · perch · lean · coach · net · ball · tube

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. tear — from crying
  3. spell — letters
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. lean — thin
  6. net — after costs
  7. tube — the underground
  8. ball — a dance
  9. spell — magic
  10. ball — a great time
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. perch — the fish
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. tube — a container
  16. lean — to bend
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. spell — a short time
  19. tear — from crying
  20. net — for catching
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. tear — to rip

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