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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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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  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. spell — magic
  2. clip — for paper
  3. spring — a coil
  4. craft — a skill
  5. clip — a video
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. tear — from crying
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. club — for dancing
  10. mate — a partner
  11. mate — a friend
  12. craft — boats
  13. spell — a short time
  14. spell — letters
  15. spring — of water
  16. tear — to rip
  17. mate — to breed
  18. ball — a dance
  19. spring — the season
  20. club — for golf
  21. club — a group
  22. tear — from crying
  23. ball — a great time
  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