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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: track · coach · foot · rush · wave · clip · plane · straw

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. clip — to cut
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. foot — a measure
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. clip — for paper
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. track — a song
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. track — a path
  22. track — to keep track
  23. plane — a tool
  24. clip — a video

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