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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: tear · stem · rash · swing · wax · shower · coach · content

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. shower — to wash
  4. shower — rain
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. wax — to grow
  7. content — happy
  8. tear — from crying
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. swing — in golf
  11. swing — music
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. swing — to play on
  19. rash — a series
  20. tear — from crying
  21. stem — to come from
  22. content — the amount
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. rash — hasty

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