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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: toast · tear · coach · kid · bark · plane · current · hide

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. tear — to rip
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. tear — from crying
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. bark — to shout
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. plane — a tool
  17. current — electric
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. current — happening now
  21. toast — bread
  22. current — of water
  23. kid — to tease
  24. kid — child

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