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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
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: wound · spring · spell · field · key · mug · clip · stem

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. spell — a short time
  3. field — for sport
  4. field — farmland
  5. spell — letters
  6. field — a subject
  7. spring — a coil
  8. spring — the season
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. mug — a cup
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. stem — to come from
  13. key — in music
  14. key — the most important part
  15. key — for a lock
  16. spell — magic
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. mug — to rob
  19. clip — a video
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — an injury
  22. spring — of water
  23. clip — for paper
  24. mug — a face

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