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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 · rash · tear · hand · squash · cap · board · pound

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. tear — from crying
  3. cap — of ice
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. tear — to rip
  8. cap — a lid
  9. squash — to crush
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. rash — a series
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. tear — from crying
  14. hand — in cards
  15. cap — a hat
  16. board — a committee
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. rash — hasty
  19. hand — help
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. pound — a weight
  22. board — to get on
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. squash — the sport

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