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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 120 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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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: race · clip · mark · temple · coach · staff · wind · bear

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. clip — for paper
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. bear — the animal
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. wind — moving air
  7. race — a contest
  8. race — the arms race
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — employees
  11. clip — a video
  12. clip — to cut
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. race — humankind
  15. staff — a stick
  16. mark — a trace
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. mark — a grade
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. bear — the animal

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