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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: snap · cap · coach · wake · pass · mine · clip · wave

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. cap — a hat
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. clip — for paper
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. clip — to cut
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. cap — a lid
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. clip — a video
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. cap — of ice
  17. wake — a trail
  18. snap — to click
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. pass — a permit
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. wave — of the sea

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