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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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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: wave · land · foot · staff · clip · coach · lean · fine

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. land — a country
  3. fine — all right
  4. lean — thin
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. land — ground
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. land — to come down
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. clip — a video
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. staff — employees
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. staff — employees
  15. lean — to bend
  16. fine — high quality
  17. staff — a stick
  18. clip — to cut
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. clip — for paper

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