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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: rock · rash · tear · bat · wave · object · coach · bound

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. tear — to rip
  3. object — to protest
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bound — obliged
  6. tear — from crying
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. rock — a stone
  9. tear — from crying
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. bat — the animal
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. bound — tied together
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. rash — hasty
  16. object — an aim
  17. rock — music
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. rash — a series
  20. bound — certain
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. object — a thing
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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