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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: leaves · staff · clip · fan · squash · snap · cap · bound

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. clip — to cut
  5. bound — obliged
  6. squash — the sport
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bound — certain
  9. staff — employees
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. cap — a hat
  13. cap — of ice
  14. snap — to click
  15. clip — a video
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. staff — a stick
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. cap — a lid
  22. squash — to crush
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. clip — for paper

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