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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: race · coach · pass · trunk · rush · cabinet · tear · shower

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. tear — from crying
  3. race — humankind
  4. shower — rain
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. pass — a permit
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. rush — hurry
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. tear — from crying
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. race — the arms race
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. shower — to wash
  22. tear — to rip
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. race — a contest

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