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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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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: dip · wind · coach · net · clip · band · deal · vault

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. vault — a safe
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. net — after costs
  6. clip — for paper
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. clip — a video
  10. band — a ring
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. net — in sport
  14. deal — to handle
  15. wind — moving air
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. clip — to cut
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. band — a music group
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. dip — to sink
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. net — for catching

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