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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: tear · content · leaves · board · coach · file · kid · face

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. face — part of the head
  3. file — a line of people
  4. board — to get on
  5. content — happy
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — to rip
  10. file — a tool
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. file — a document
  13. kid — child
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. board — a committee
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. content — the amount
  18. face — to point toward
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. kid — to tease
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. face — to confront
  24. coach — a trainer

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