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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: coach · content · mouse · file · tube · rest · wave · clip

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. clip — for paper
  3. tube — a container
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. file — a line of people
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. clip — a video
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. rest — what's left
  13. file — a tool
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. clip — to cut
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. content — the amount
  18. content — happy
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. tube — the underground
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. rest — a break
  24. file — a document

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