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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: coach · hand · stick · file · clip · swing · tube · drill

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. swing — to play on
  3. swing — music
  4. hand — in cards
  5. clip — a video
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. file — a document
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. drill — a practice
  12. hand — help
  13. file — a line of people
  14. drill — the tool
  15. clip — to cut
  16. drill — army training
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. tube — the underground
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. clip — for paper
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. tube — a container
  23. swing — in golf
  24. file — a tool

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