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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.

Make a worksheet

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: mark · clip · kid · bear · leaves · scale

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. kid — child
  3. mark — a grade
  4. bear — the animal
  5. scale — size or range
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. clip — for paper
  11. clip — a video
  12. clip — to cut
  13. mark — a trace
  14. bear — the animal
  15. kid — to tease
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. scale — in music
  18. leaves — to go away

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