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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: coach · tear · last · spring · snap · race · plane · mouse

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. race — a contest
  4. race — humankind
  5. last — to go on
  6. tear — from crying
  7. spring — the season
  8. plane — a tool
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. tear — to rip
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. last — final
  14. spring — a coil
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. race — the arms race
  17. tear — from crying
  18. last — finally
  19. snap — to click
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. spring — of water

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