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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: clip · leaves · mark · calf · spell · firm · bulb · fine

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. firm — decided
  3. spell — letters
  4. mark — a grade
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. firm — a company
  7. mark — a trace
  8. clip — to cut
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. fine — all right
  12. spell — a short time
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. clip — for paper
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. firm — steady
  17. bulb — for light
  18. spell — magic
  19. bulb — for light
  20. clip — a video
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. leaves — lets stay

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