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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: racket · coach · tear · leaves · mug · bear · pass · club

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. bear — the animal
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — to rip
  6. pass — a permit
  7. tear — from crying
  8. club — a group
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. bear — the animal
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. mug — a cup
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. club — for dancing
  21. mug — to rob
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. mug — a face
  24. racket — a loud noise

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