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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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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: craft · cell · hide · tear · kid · lean · coach · rash

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. tear — to rip
  6. craft — a skill
  7. tear — from crying
  8. rash — a series
  9. cell — a phone
  10. tear — from crying
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. rash — hasty
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. kid — child
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. lean — to bend
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. kid — to tease
  20. craft — boats
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. cell — in biology
  24. lean — thin

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