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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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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: coach · calf · ground · fall · mug · racket · tear · leaves

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. ground — a position
  3. tear — from crying
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. fall — to drop
  7. mug — to rob
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. fall — the season
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. ground — the earth
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. tear — from crying
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. ground — crushed
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. mug — a face
  21. fall — to drop
  22. tear — to rip
  23. calf — a young animal
  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