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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: squash · mate · lie · wave · tear · mouse · pop · coach

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. tear — to rip
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. mate — a partner
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. tear — from crying
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. pop — soda
  10. lie — to recline
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. pop — music
  14. pop — to visit
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mate — to breed
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. squash — the sport
  19. mate — a friend
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. squash — to crush
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. tear — from crying

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