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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 · foot · racket · roll · coach · tear · stand

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. tear — from crying
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. roll — a list
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. rock — a stone
  7. foot — a measure
  8. tear — from crying
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. rash — hasty
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. roll — a cake
  17. stand — to bear
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. rash — a series
  21. tear — to rip
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. rock — music
  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