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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: plane · clip · ruler · coach · kid · staff · bore · mark

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. clip — for paper
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. kid — to tease
  5. clip — to cut
  6. bore — to drill
  7. clip — a video
  8. mark — a grade
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. mark — a trace
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. staff — a stick
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. bore — to tire
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. kid — child
  21. staff — employees
  22. plane — a tool
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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