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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: scale · hide · tear · fork · bat · coach · race · mine

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. fork — in a road
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. tear — from crying
  6. race — the arms race
  7. tear — from crying
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. scale — in music
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. scale — size or range
  15. race — humankind
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. bat — the animal
  21. mine — for digging
  22. race — a contest
  23. tear — to rip
  24. hide — to keep secret

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