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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 · staff · stick · face · clip · saw · ground · net

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. saw — the tool
  3. face — to point toward
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. staff — employees
  6. clip — for paper
  7. staff — employees
  8. ground — the earth
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. clip — to cut
  11. net — for catching
  12. face — part of the head
  13. clip — a video
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. ground — crushed
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. net — after costs
  18. staff — a stick
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. face — to confront
  21. saw — the tool
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. net — in sport
  24. ground — a position

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