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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 120 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 · clip · wake · dip · sharp · patient · nail · lean

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. lean — thin
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. clip — a video
  10. clip — for paper
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. dip — to sink
  13. wake — a trail
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. sharp — clever
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. clip — to cut
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. coach — a trainer

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