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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: date · lean · bore · row · coach · toast · wake · tube

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. lean — to bend
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. tube — the underground
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. row — a line
  9. tube — a container
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. bore — to tire
  12. wake — a trail
  13. bore — to drill
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. lean — thin
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. date — the fruit
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. row — to paddle
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. toast — bread
  24. bore — gave birth

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