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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: mine · firm · leaves · saw · clip · mug · last · coach

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. clip — for paper
  3. last — finally
  4. firm — a company
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. saw — the tool
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. last — final
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. firm — steady
  12. clip — to cut
  13. last — to go on
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. mug — to rob
  17. firm — decided
  18. clip — a video
  19. saw — the tool
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mug — a face
  22. mug — a cup
  23. mine — for digging
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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