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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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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: bear · clip · lash · stem · cue · deal · coach · capital

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. cue — a signal
  3. clip — to cut
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. stem — to come from
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. cue — a hint
  10. capital — money
  11. capital — a city
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. cue — for pool
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. bear — the animal
  16. clip — for paper
  17. deal — to handle
  18. clip — a video
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. deal — an agreement

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