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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: object · pop · roll · arm · clip · pass · coach · spell

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. pass — a permit
  4. pop — to visit
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. object — an aim
  9. spell — magic
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. pop — music
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. object — a thing
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. clip — a video
  16. roll — a cake
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. roll — a list
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. clip — for paper
  21. clip — to cut
  22. pop — soda
  23. spell — letters
  24. spell — a short time

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