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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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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: pass · bark · coach · tear · spring · bound · bear · race

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. race — a contest
  3. spring — the season
  4. spring — a coil
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. bound — tied together
  7. spring — of water
  8. race — the arms race
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bear — the animal
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. bound — obliged
  16. pass — a permit
  17. race — humankind
  18. bear — the animal
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. tear — to rip
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bark — to shout
  24. bound — certain

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