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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 · ball · suit · clip · spring · roll · plane · wake

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. spring — the season
  3. ball — a dance
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. plane — a tool
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. ball — a great time
  8. wake — a trail
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. roll — a list
  13. suit — to fit
  14. suit — in cards
  15. roll — a cake
  16. spring — a coil
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. spring — of water
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. suit — clothes
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. clip — for paper
  24. clip — to cut

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