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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: coach · pitcher · perch · hand · suit · tear · mate · spring

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  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. coach — pulled by horses
  2. tear — from crying
  3. mate — a friend
  4. suit — clothes
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — the fish
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. suit — to fit
  9. hand — in cards
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. mate — to breed
  14. hand — help
  15. spring — the season
  16. suit — in cards
  17. tear — from crying
  18. spring — of water
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. spring — a coil
  22. mate — a partner
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  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