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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pitcher · spell · lean · bear · staff · rash · plane · clip

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. clip — for paper
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. spell — letters
  5. rash — a series
  6. clip — to cut
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. lean — thin
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. spell — a short time
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. spell — magic
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. lean — to bend
  17. staff — a stick
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. bear — the animal
  20. rash — hasty
  21. staff — employees
  22. clip — a video
  23. plane — a tool
  24. bear — the animal

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