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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.

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 · suit · rash · mine · clip · bark · saw · dip

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. saw — the tool
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. rash — hasty
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. suit — in cards
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. clip — to cut
  12. dip — to sink
  13. rash — a series
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. suit — to fit
  18. suit — clothes
  19. clip — for paper
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. clip — a video
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. mine — for digging

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