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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: tear · kick · temple · coach · bulb · wind · tube · rush

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. kick — in football
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. tube — the underground
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. wind — moving air
  11. tear — from crying
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. bulb — for light
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. tube — a container
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. rush — hurry
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. tear — to rip
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. wind — moving air
  24. kick — a thrill

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