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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: coach · bank · wake · clip · ball · bound · season · game

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. wake — a trail
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. season — in sport
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. clip — a video
  8. ball — a dance
  9. bank — for money
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. bank — for money
  13. clip — for paper
  14. bound — tied together
  15. game — a match
  16. bound — obliged
  17. season — of the year
  18. bound — certain
  19. bank — of a river
  20. ball — a great time
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. game — wild animals
  24. game — a kind of play

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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