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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: coach · clip · tube · mark · craft · saw · patient · nail

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. clip — to cut
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. craft — boats
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. tube — the underground
  10. saw — the tool
  11. craft — a skill
  12. clip — a video
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. mark — a grade
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. mark — a trace
  21. clip — for paper
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. tube — a container
  24. saw — the 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