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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: coach · ruler · wake · clip · pop · spell · current · lash

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. pop — music
  3. pop — to visit
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. current — of water
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. pop — soda
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. clip — for paper
  12. current — happening now
  13. clip — a video
  14. spell — magic
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. current — electric
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. wake — a trail
  20. spell — a short time
  21. clip — to cut
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. spell — letters

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