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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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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: racket · wave · mark · plane · coach · straw · tear · temple

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. tear — from crying
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. mark — a trace
  8. mark — a grade
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. tear — from crying
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. tear — to rip
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. plane — a tool
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. temple — side of the head

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