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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: present · temple · land · pass · tear · coach · dip · swing

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. pass — a permit
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. swing — to play on
  5. land — ground
  6. tear — from crying
  7. present — a gift
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. dip — to sink
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. swing — in golf
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. tear — from crying
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. land — to come down
  20. swing — music
  21. land — a country
  22. tear — to rip
  23. present — there
  24. dip — a sauce

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