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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: tear · rash · coach · track · mine · last · object · mug

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. object — to protest
  4. object — a thing
  5. track — a song
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. rash — a series
  8. track — a path
  9. tear — from crying
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. rash — hasty
  12. mug — a cup
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. last — final
  15. mug — a face
  16. tear — to rip
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. tear — from crying
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mug — to rob
  21. last — to go on
  22. track — to keep track
  23. object — an aim
  24. last — finally

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