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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: content · clip · cell · calf · fall · suit · leaves · spell

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. spell — magic
  5. cell — in biology
  6. content — the amount
  7. content — happy
  8. suit — in cards
  9. spell — a short time
  10. clip — to cut
  11. fall — to drop
  12. clip — a video
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. clip — for paper
  15. spell — letters
  16. suit — to fit
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. suit — clothes
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. cell — a phone
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. fall — to drop
  24. calf — a young animal

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