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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: lie · cell · clip · bore · wind · coach · bank · spring

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. wind — moving air
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. spring — of water
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. bank — for money
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. clip — to cut
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bank — of a river
  14. lie — to recline
  15. cell — a phone
  16. cell — in biology
  17. bore — to tire
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. spring — a coil
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bank — for money
  23. spring — the season
  24. clip — for paper

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