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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: ruler · spring · clip · cap · date · board · game · coach

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. clip — for paper
  3. clip — a video
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. cap — a lid
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. game — a match
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. cap — a hat
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. board — a committee
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. board — to get on
  16. spring — a coil
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. spring — the season
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. cap — of ice
  21. game — wild animals
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. spring — of water
  24. date — the fruit

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