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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: kid · root · clip · chip · racket · coach · leaves · staff

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. clip — for paper
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. kid — to tease
  6. clip — a video
  7. chip — for betting
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. staff — employees
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. root — of a word
  13. root — the cause
  14. kid — child
  15. staff — employees
  16. chip — to eat
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. root — of a plant
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. clip — to cut
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. racket — for tennis

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