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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: bank · ground · coach · cue · leaves · clip · last · bore

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. clip — a video
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. bore — to drill
  8. bore — to tire
  9. clip — to cut
  10. last — finally
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. cue — a signal
  13. clip — for paper
  14. cue — for pool
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. ground — crushed
  18. ground — a position
  19. bank — for money
  20. last — final
  21. ground — the earth
  22. cue — a hint
  23. last — to go on
  24. bank — of a river

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