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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: bear · fall · mark · coach · racket · rash · chair · tear

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. chair — a leader
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. mark — a trace
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bear — the animal
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. mark — a grade
  17. rash — a series
  18. bear — the animal
  19. fall — the season
  20. tear — to rip
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. fall — to drop
  24. rash — hasty

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