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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: last · rush · bear · bowl · clip · lie · nail · coach

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bear — the animal
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. last — to go on
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. rush — hurry
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. lie — to recline
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. clip — to cut
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. last — final
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. clip — for paper
  23. clip — a video
  24. last — finally

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