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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
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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: race · coach · land · bass · swing · spell · clip · stand

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. bass — low music
  4. swing — in golf
  5. clip — a video
  6. land — to come down
  7. swing — music
  8. race — the arms race
  9. land — a country
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. clip — for paper
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. swing — to play on
  15. race — humankind
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. bass — the fish
  18. race — a contest
  19. spell — a short time
  20. spell — letters
  21. spell — magic
  22. land — ground
  23. stand — to bear
  24. clip — to cut

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