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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: pop · cap · roll · object · kick · rush · coach · tear

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. roll — a cake
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. tear — to rip
  5. cap — a lid
  6. pop — music
  7. tear — from crying
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. kick — in football
  10. pop — soda
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. object — an aim
  13. cap — a hat
  14. object — to protest
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. tear — from crying
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. rush — hurry
  19. object — a thing
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. roll — a list
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. pop — to visit
  24. cap — of ice

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