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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 116 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: band · bat · coach · can · tear · board · hide · leaves

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. tear — from crying
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. can — a tin
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. can — a tin
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. board — a committee
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. board — to get on
  17. band — a ring
  18. tear — from crying
  19. band — a music group
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. can — to be able to
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. tear — to rip

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