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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. clip — for paper
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bank — for money
  10. bank — of a river
  11. fall — to drop
  12. clip — a video
  13. bank — for money
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. fall — to drop
  16. clip — to cut
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. bore — to drill
  21. fall — the season
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bore — to tire

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