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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: cold · tear · pitcher · coach · rock · bay · tube · sharp

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. rock — a stone
  3. tear — to rip
  4. cold — an illness
  5. tube — a container
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. sharp — clever
  9. cold — not warm
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. tube — the underground
  14. rock — music
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. tear — from crying
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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