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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: clip · spell · straw · pass · trunk · mate · mug · object

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. spell — letters
  4. spell — magic
  5. clip — for paper
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. object — to protest
  8. mate — a partner
  9. spell — a short time
  10. mug — to rob
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. pass — a permit
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. object — a thing
  17. object — an aim
  18. mug — a face
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. mate — to breed
  21. clip — a video
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. mate — a friend
  24. mug — a cup

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