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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: spring · pitcher · spell · club · lean · board · clip · temple

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. board — to get on
  3. clip — for paper
  4. club — for dancing
  5. board — a committee
  6. club — for golf
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. spell — magic
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. spring — a coil
  13. clip — a video
  14. spring — of water
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. spring — the season
  20. spell — letters
  21. lean — thin
  22. spell — a short time
  23. lean — to bend
  24. club — a group

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