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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: craft · hide · cue · tear · club · coach · wake · stick

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. club — for dancing
  3. craft — a skill
  4. cue — for pool
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. club — for golf
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. cue — a signal
  11. tear — to rip
  12. cue — a hint
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. club — a group
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. craft — boats
  22. wake — a trail
  23. tear — from crying
  24. hide — animal skin

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