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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: object · staff · tear · coach · land · cue · calf · rush

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. land — to come down
  3. cue — a signal
  4. staff — a stick
  5. tear — from crying
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. land — ground
  9. staff — employees
  10. land — a country
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. tear — from crying
  13. cue — for pool
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. tear — to rip
  16. staff — employees
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. rush — hurry
  19. object — to protest
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. cue — a hint
  22. object — a thing
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. object — an aim

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