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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: cabinet · tear · cue · bore · court · coach · trunk · mate

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. cue — a hint
  3. cue — for pool
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. court — for sport
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. cue — a signal
  8. tear — to rip
  9. court — of a king
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bore — to drill
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. mate — a friend
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. mate — to breed
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. court — of law
  24. mate — a partner

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