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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 116 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: rush · cap · clip · lean · chip · bore · coach · track

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. track — to keep track
  4. bore — to tire
  5. clip — for paper
  6. lean — thin
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. rush — hurry
  9. lean — to bend
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. cap — a hat
  12. clip — a video
  13. clip — to cut
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. bore — to drill
  18. cap — a lid
  19. cap — of ice
  20. chip — for betting
  21. track — a path
  22. track — a song
  23. chip — to eat
  24. coach — a trainer

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