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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 116 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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. clip — for paper
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bank — for money
  7. clip — a video
  8. stand — to bear
  9. mug — a cup
  10. bank — of a river
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. mug — to rob
  13. kick — in football
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — moving air
  16. clip — to cut
  17. season — in sport
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. bank — for money
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. season — of the year
  24. mug — a face

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