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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: can · spell · mine · wake · court · face · clip · perch

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. court — of law
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. can — a tin
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. face — to point toward
  8. court — for sport
  9. face — part of the head
  10. can — a tin
  11. clip — for paper
  12. can — to be able to
  13. spell — letters
  14. court — of a king
  15. clip — to cut
  16. clip — a video
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. mine — for digging
  19. perch — the fish
  20. wake — a trail
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. spell — a short time
  23. spell — magic
  24. face — to confront

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