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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: arm · mug · land · suit · clip · cabinet · staff · degree

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. clip — for paper
  3. land — ground
  4. mug — a face
  5. degree — an amount
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. land — to come down
  8. clip — a video
  9. mug — to rob
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. suit — in cards
  14. degree — from a university
  15. staff — a stick
  16. staff — employees
  17. degree — temperature
  18. suit — to fit
  19. suit — clothes
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. mug — a cup
  22. land — a country
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. staff — employees

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