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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: last · bat · lean · coach · rash · tear · wind · bass

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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. last — to go on
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bat — the animal
  7. lean — to bend
  8. last — finally
  9. wind — moving air
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. lean — thin
  13. rash — a series
  14. last — final
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. bass — low music
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. wind — moving air
  19. tear — to rip
  20. rash — hasty
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bass — the fish
  24. bat — in an idiom

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