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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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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: squash · stick · temple · coach · clip · wake · leaves · wind

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. wind — moving air
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. wake — a trail
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. squash — the sport
  13. clip — a video
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. wind — moving air
  18. squash — to crush
  19. clip — to cut
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. clip — for paper
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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