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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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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: can · race · coach · object · rash · mine · bass · wake

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. can — a tin
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bass — the fish
  5. can — a tin
  6. object — to protest
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. can — to be able to
  11. rash — a series
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. mine — for digging
  14. race — the arms race
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. object — a thing
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. object — an aim
  19. bass — low music
  20. race — a contest
  21. rash — hasty
  22. wake — a trail
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. race — humankind

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