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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: bank · cell · sharp · mark · spell · face · clip · rash

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. mark — a grade
  4. face — to point toward
  5. bank — for money
  6. clip — to cut
  7. bank — for money
  8. rash — hasty
  9. spell — magic
  10. rash — a series
  11. cell — in biology
  12. clip — a video
  13. spell — letters
  14. face — part of the head
  15. face — to confront
  16. spell — a short time
  17. sharp — clever
  18. bank — of a river
  19. clip — for paper
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. cell — a phone
  24. sharp — exactly

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