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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 · land · clip · chip · bass · field · dip · rush

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  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. dip — to sink
  2. clip — for paper
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. rush — hurry
  7. clip — a video
  8. land — ground
  9. chip — for betting
  10. land — to come down
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. field — for sport
  13. bass — low music
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. chip — to eat
  16. field — farmland
  17. bass — the fish
  18. clip — to cut
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. land — a country
  21. field — a subject
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. rush — to hurry
  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