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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: suit · lie · clip · cold · staff · stem · last · coach

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. cold — not warm
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. staff — employees
  5. last — to go on
  6. clip — for paper
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. cold — an illness
  9. clip — a video
  10. suit — to fit
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. stem — to come from
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. last — finally
  18. suit — in cards
  19. lie — to recline
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — a stick
  22. clip — to cut
  23. suit — clothes
  24. last — final

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