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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: pass · tube · capital · clip · coach · mine · bark · toast

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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. toast — bread
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. capital — money
  6. tube — a container
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. clip — a video
  10. bark — to shout
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. clip — to cut
  17. mine — for digging
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. pass — a permit
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. clip — for paper
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. capital — a city

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