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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 120 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.

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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: spring · clip · object · bear · ball · mate · cabinet · track

  1. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. clip — a video
  2. object — to protest
  3. ball — a great time
  4. ball — a dance
  5. bear — the animal
  6. object — a thing
  7. spring — the season
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bear — the animal
  11. mate — a friend
  12. mate — to breed
  13. track — a song
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. track — to keep track
  16. object — an aim
  17. track — a path
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. clip — for paper
  20. spring — of water
  21. mate — a partner
  22. clip — to cut
  23. spring — a coil
  24. bear — to put up with

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