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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: wound · stand · date · bat · mug · coach · clip · cabinet

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. clip — a video
  3. clip — to cut
  4. date — the fruit
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. wound — an injury
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. stand — to bear
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. wound — an injury
  13. clip — for paper
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. mug — to rob
  18. mug — a face
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. bat — the animal
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. cabinet — ministers

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