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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
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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: staff · season · coach · row · kid · lean · clip · cabinet

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. staff — employees
  4. season — in sport
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. lean — to bend
  8. clip — to cut
  9. row — to paddle
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. row — a line
  14. kid — child
  15. clip — a video
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. clip — for paper
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. season — of the year
  20. staff — a stick
  21. kid — to tease
  22. lean — thin
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. staff — employees

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