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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: clip · land · stand · spell · calf · bank

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. clip — a video
  4. land — a country
  5. land — ground
  6. clip — to cut
  7. clip — for paper
  8. stand — to bear
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. spell — letters
  11. spell — magic
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. spell — a short time
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. bank — of a river
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. bank — for money
  18. bank — for money

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