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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. rash — hasty
  3. spell — magic
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. board — to get on
  6. clip — for paper
  7. spell — letters
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. clip — a video
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. can — a tin
  13. clip — to cut
  14. board — a committee
  15. can — a tin
  16. rash — a series
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. spell — a short time

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