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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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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 · mark · kick · clip · stick · stand · wave · lean

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. clip — for paper
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. kick — in football
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. lean — thin
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. mark — a grade
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. clip — a video
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. lean — to bend
  19. mark — a trace
  20. stand — to bear
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. clip — to cut

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