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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: net · leaves · wound · bear · coach · clip · lash · board

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  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. net — after costs
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bear — the animal
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. clip — to cut
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. clip — a video
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. board — a committee
  18. bear — the animal
  19. clip — for paper
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. net — in sport
  22. board — to get on
  23. coach — a trainer
  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