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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: coach · cap · suit · pound · clip · straw · mine · root

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  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. clip — a video
  2. suit — clothes
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. cap — a hat
  5. suit — in cards
  6. clip — to cut
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. cap — of ice
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. suit — to fit
  11. root — of a plant
  12. pound — a weight
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. cap — a lid
  15. root — the cause
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. mine — for digging
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. root — of a word
  23. coach — a trainer
  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