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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: spell · clip · lean · mark · saw · cue · cell · straw

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. clip — for paper
  3. lean — thin
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. cell — in biology
  6. cell — a phone
  7. cue — a hint
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. saw — the tool
  10. mark — a trace
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. lean — to bend
  14. clip — a video
  15. spell — letters
  16. saw — the tool
  17. mark — a grade
  18. spell — a short time
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. cue — for pool
  21. spell — magic
  22. cue — a signal
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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