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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: rush · spell · leaves · sharp · clip · wax · mine · dip

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. rush — hurry
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. dip — to sink
  6. spell — magic
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. clip — for paper
  9. spell — letters
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. sharp — clever
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. clip — to cut
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. clip — a video
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. wax — to grow
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. spell — a short time
  23. mine — for digging
  24. sharp — with an edge

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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