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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: roll · clip · patient · mate · can · bay · kid · spell

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. mate — a partner
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. spell — letters
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. roll — a cake
  8. mate — a friend
  9. spell — magic
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. kid — to tease
  12. clip — a video
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. roll — a list
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. mate — to breed
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. can — a tin
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. can — to be able to
  21. clip — for paper
  22. kid — child
  23. spell — a short time
  24. can — a tin

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