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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 120 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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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: perch · tear · squash · root · fine · wind · vault · coach

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  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. coach — a trainer
  2. fine — high quality
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. wind — moving air
  6. fine — all right
  7. root — of a word
  8. squash — to crush
  9. squash — the sport
  10. wind — moving air
  11. root — the cause
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — the fish
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. root — of a plant
  17. tear — to rip
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. tear — from crying
  22. vault — a safe
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  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