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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: pass · dip · net · land · mug · coach · band · straw

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. land — ground
  5. band — a ring
  6. net — in sport
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. land — a country
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. band — a music group
  13. net — after costs
  14. dip — to sink
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. land — to come down
  17. mug — a face
  18. pass — a permit
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. mug — to rob
  21. net — for catching
  22. mug — a cup
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. straw — dry grass

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