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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: jam · trunk · fine · snap · spell · coach · clip · suit

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. suit — to fit
  4. clip — to cut
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. fine — all right
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. clip — a video
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. suit — clothes
  14. suit — in cards
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. spell — magic
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. spell — letters
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. fine — high quality
  22. spell — a short time
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. snap — to click

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