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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  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. bore — gave birth
  3. clip — for paper
  4. cue — a signal
  5. lean — thin
  6. spring — of water
  7. bound — tied together
  8. deal — to handle
  9. bound — certain
  10. bore — to tire
  11. cue — for pool
  12. clip — a video
  13. spell — letters
  14. spell — a short time
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. bound — obliged
  17. lean — to bend
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. bore — to drill
  20. spring — the season
  21. cue — a hint
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. spring — a coil
  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