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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 116 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: spring · coach · tear · rash · mate · saw · wake · cue

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. cue — for pool
  3. spring — the season
  4. rash — hasty
  5. saw — the tool
  6. mate — a partner
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. tear — to rip
  9. tear — from crying
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. cue — a signal
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. mate — to breed
  15. spring — of water
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. mate — a friend
  19. cue — a hint
  20. wake — a trail
  21. spring — a coil
  22. saw — the tool
  23. rash — a series
  24. coach — a trainer

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