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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: mug · tear · coach · race · bass · rash · cap · ruler

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bass — the fish
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. rash — hasty
  6. bass — low music
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. rash — a series
  9. mug — to rob
  10. cap — of ice
  11. mug — a face
  12. cap — a hat
  13. tear — to rip
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. tear — from crying
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. race — a contest
  19. race — humankind
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. race — the arms race
  24. mug — a cup

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