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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: mark · clip · stem · spell · land · mouse · bay · coach

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. clip — for paper
  3. clip — to cut
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. land — ground
  6. spell — magic
  7. land — a country
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. spell — a short time
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. clip — a video
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. mark — a trace
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. stem — to come from
  21. spell — letters
  22. land — to come down
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. mark — a grade

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