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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: straw · spell · cap · pass · clip · calf · tube · mark

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. cap — of ice
  4. spell — letters
  5. spell — a short time
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. tube — a container
  9. clip — for paper
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. mark — a grade
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. spell — magic
  14. clip — to cut
  15. cap — a lid
  16. pass — a permit
  17. cap — a hat
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. tube — the underground
  20. mark — a trace
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. pass — to spend 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