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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: mine · pit · rock · file · coach · tear · net · wave

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. rock — a stone
  3. tear — from crying
  4. net — for catching
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. pit — in a race
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. tear — from crying
  10. file — a tool
  11. net — in sport
  12. pit — a hole
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. tear — to rip
  15. file — a line of people
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. mine — for digging
  18. net — after costs
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. file — a document
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. rock — music
  24. coach — a trainer

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