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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: mark · fine · coach · root · bound · clip · wax · roll

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. clip — a video
  3. bound — obliged
  4. fine — all right
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. roll — a list
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. bound — certain
  9. root — of a word
  10. root — of a plant
  11. wax — to grow
  12. fine — high quality
  13. bound — tied together
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. mark — a trace
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. clip — to cut
  22. clip — for paper
  23. root — the cause
  24. mark — a grade

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