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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: coach · clip · wind · bulb · stick · fan · mate · pit

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. wind — moving air
  4. pit — a hole
  5. bulb — for light
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. mate — to breed
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. pit — in a race
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. clip — for paper
  13. wind — moving air
  14. clip — a video
  15. bulb — for light
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. mate — a partner
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. mate — a friend
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. clip — to cut
  24. bulb — of a plant

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