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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: hide · snap · clip · coach · temple · saw · racket · leaves

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  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. saw — the tool
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. clip — a video
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. snap — to click
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. saw — the tool
  16. clip — for paper
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. racket — a loud noise
  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