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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: coach · tear · deal · bulb · cue · hand · nail · wind

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. hand — help
  3. tear — to rip
  4. hand — in cards
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. deal — to handle
  7. cue — for pool
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bulb — for light
  13. cue — a hint
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. tear — from crying
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. cue — a signal
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bulb — for light
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. wind — moving air

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