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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.

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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: clip · land · stick · sharp · spell · squash · wake · stand

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. spell — magic
  4. clip — for paper
  5. land — a country
  6. clip — a video
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. land — to come down
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. spell — letters
  13. wake — a trail
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. squash — the sport
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. clip — to cut
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. land — ground
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. squash — to crush
  23. stand — to bear
  24. sharp — clever

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