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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: mate · lean · bank · sharp · rest · clip · file · coach

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. bank — for money
  3. bank — for money
  4. clip — for paper
  5. sharp — clever
  6. lean — to bend
  7. lean — thin
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. file — a line of people
  11. mate — to breed
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. clip — a video
  14. rest — what's left
  15. file — a document
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. file — a tool
  18. clip — to cut
  19. mate — a friend
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. rest — what's left
  22. bank — of a river
  23. rest — a break
  24. mate — a partner

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