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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
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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: rash · band · spell · leaves · safe · fan · clip · lean

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. spell — letters
  3. band — a music group
  4. band — a ring
  5. spell — magic
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. clip — for paper
  8. lean — to bend
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. clip — a video
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. spell — a short time
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. rash — a series
  21. rash — hasty
  22. lean — thin
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. safe — out of danger

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