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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
468
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: can · coach · roll · tear · swing · pass · cell · bass

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. cell — a phone
  4. pass — a permit
  5. roll — a list
  6. bass — the fish
  7. swing — in golf
  8. cell — in biology
  9. swing — to play on
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. roll — a cake
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. tear — to rip
  15. bass — low music
  16. can — a tin
  17. swing — music
  18. can — to be able to
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. can — a tin
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — from crying

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