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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 120 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: tube · wind · shower · coach · row · clip · cap · firm

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. clip — to cut
  3. row — to paddle
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. firm — decided
  6. cap — of ice
  7. tube — the underground
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. cap — a lid
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. clip — for paper
  12. tube — a container
  13. cap — a hat
  14. firm — a company
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. wind — moving air
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. clip — a video
  22. shower — rain
  23. firm — steady
  24. shower — to wash

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