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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: toast · suit · clip · fork · wave · bear · coach · field

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. clip — for paper
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. suit — to fit
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. fork — in a road
  9. suit — in cards
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. toast — bread
  13. field — farmland
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. field — for sport
  17. bear — the animal
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. bear — the animal
  20. clip — a video
  21. field — a subject
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. suit — clothes

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