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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 116 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: clip · dip · coach · tube · cold · bank · nail · file

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. clip — a video
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. file — a tool
  6. dip — to sink
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. bank — of a river
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bank — for money
  11. bank — for money
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. file — a line of people
  14. cold — not warm
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. tube — a container
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. cold — an illness
  22. clip — for paper
  23. clip — to cut
  24. file — a document

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