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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 116 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: straw · coach · can · wave · face · tear · mate · stand

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. tear — to rip
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. can — a tin
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. face — to confront
  8. can — a tin
  9. stand — to bear
  10. face — part of the head
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. can — to be able to
  13. mate — a friend
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. tear — from crying
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. tear — from crying
  19. mate — a partner
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. face — to point toward
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. mate — to breed

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