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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: clip · wound · mine · fan · hide · bear · coach · object

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. clip — to cut
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. bear — the animal
  6. wound — an injury
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. wound — an injury
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. object — a thing
  13. object — to protest
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. bear — the animal
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. clip — for paper
  20. object — an aim
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. mine — for digging
  24. clip — a video

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