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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: last · hide · plane · coach · pass · bore · spell · clip

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. spell — magic
  3. bore — to drill
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. spell — a short time
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. pass — a permit
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. plane — a tool
  10. bore — to tire
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. spell — letters
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. clip — for paper
  20. clip — to cut
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. last — finally
  23. clip — a video
  24. last — to go on

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