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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: fall · pass · clip · coach · object · patient · bass · hand

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. hand — help
  3. clip — to cut
  4. clip — a video
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. hand — in cards
  7. fall — to drop
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. object — to protest
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bass — low music
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. clip — for paper
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. fall — to drop
  18. pass — a permit
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. object — a thing
  21. object — an aim
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. fall — the season

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