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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: capital · hand · clip · coach · present · straw · shower · can

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. present — the time now
  3. clip — to cut
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. capital — a city
  6. hand — in cards
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. clip — for paper
  9. can — a tin
  10. present — a gift
  11. capital — money
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. present — there
  15. clip — a video
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. can — a tin
  18. hand — help
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. shower — to wash
  22. can — to be able to
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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