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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: hide · tear · lash · tube · wake · bound · game · coach

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. game — wild animals
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — to rip
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. wake — a trail
  11. tube — a container
  12. bound — tied together
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. bound — obliged
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. tube — the underground
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. bound — certain
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  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