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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · date · tube · fall · key · firm · pitcher · tear

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. key — in music
  3. date — the fruit
  4. fall — to drop
  5. tube — the underground
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. tube — a container
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. key — for a lock
  14. firm — steady
  15. fall — the season
  16. key — the most important part
  17. tear — from crying
  18. fall — to drop
  19. firm — a company
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. firm — decided
  24. tear — from crying

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