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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: tear · coach · rush · wake · current · deal · hand · rash

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. hand — in cards
  3. tear — to rip
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. tear — from crying
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. hand — help
  10. rush — hurry
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. current — of water
  13. deal — to handle
  14. tear — from crying
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. wake — a trail
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. current — happening now
  20. current — electric
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. rash — hasty
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. rash — a series

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