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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: coach · clip · snap · arm · tube · bat · rash · plane

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. bat — the animal
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. rash — a series
  11. clip — for paper
  12. snap — to click
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. plane — a tool
  15. rash — hasty
  16. tube — a container
  17. tube — the underground
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. clip — to cut

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