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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 · nail · clip · wound · fan · tear · bound · wax

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. clip — for paper
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. clip — a video
  5. tear — to rip
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. bound — obliged
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bound — certain
  10. bound — tied together
  11. wax — to grow
  12. tear — from crying
  13. wound — an injury
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. clip — to cut
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. wound — an injury
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. tear — from crying

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