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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 116 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: spell · leaves · rash · clip · board · can · content · bay

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. content — happy
  3. rash — hasty
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. clip — a video
  6. clip — for paper
  7. clip — to cut
  8. can — to be able to
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. can — a tin
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. board — to get on
  14. content — the amount
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. rash — a series
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. spell — magic
  19. board — a committee
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. can — a tin
  24. spell — a short time

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