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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · march · staff · mine · clip · temple · bear · kick

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. march — the month
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. bear — the animal
  7. march — music
  8. staff — employees
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. staff — a stick
  13. clip — a video
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. bear — the animal
  16. clip — for paper
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. staff — employees
  20. march — the month
  21. mine — for digging
  22. kick — in football
  23. clip — to cut
  24. bear — to put up with

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