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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: present · coach · race · tear · staff · bound · bark · dip

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. present — a gift
  3. staff — employees
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. present — the time now
  6. bound — certain
  7. bound — obliged
  8. present — there
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — to rip
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bark — to shout
  16. race — a contest
  17. staff — a stick
  18. staff — employees
  19. dip — to sink
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. race — the arms race
  22. bound — tied together
  23. race — humankind
  24. dip — to dunk

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