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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: rule · rest · clip · spring · stand · can · coach · track

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. stand — to bear
  3. rest — a break
  4. rule — government
  5. spring — the season
  6. track — to keep track
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. rule — a law
  10. can — a tin
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. can — a tin
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. track — a path
  16. clip — to cut
  17. spring — a coil
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. rest — what's left
  20. can — to be able to
  21. spring — of water
  22. clip — a video
  23. clip — for paper
  24. track — a song

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