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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 120 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: ball · coach · saw · clip · fork · wind · rest · dip

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. ball — a dance
  5. fork — in a road
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. saw — the tool
  9. wind — moving air
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — a break
  13. ball — a great time
  14. rest — what's left
  15. clip — to cut
  16. wind — moving air
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. clip — for paper
  21. clip — a video
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. saw — the tool

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