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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: rock · coach · clip · safe · leaves · pop · snap · cell

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. snap — to click
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. pop — to visit
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. clip — for paper
  10. clip — a video
  11. pop — music
  12. pop — soda
  13. rock — a stone
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. rock — music
  16. clip — to cut
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cell — a phone
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. leaves — to go away

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