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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: fall · dip · clip · net · wave · mug · tear · coach

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. clip — for paper
  5. mug — a face
  6. fall — the season
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. fall — to drop
  9. clip — a video
  10. mug — a cup
  11. dip — to sink
  12. net — for catching
  13. clip — to cut
  14. tear — from crying
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. tear — from crying
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. tear — to rip
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. fall — to drop
  22. mug — to rob
  23. net — in sport
  24. net — after costs

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