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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 116 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: pass · coach · can · pit · bear · wax · clip · spring

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. pit — a hole
  5. pass — a permit
  6. bear — the animal
  7. clip — to cut
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. spring — the season
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. clip — for paper
  12. pit — in a race
  13. wax — to grow
  14. clip — a video
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. can — to be able to
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. spring — of water
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. can — a tin
  21. spring — a coil
  22. bear — the animal
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. coach — a trainer

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