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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: stand · cabinet · wake · spell · clip · bowl · mark · sharp

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. stand — to bear
  4. clip — to cut
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. sharp — clever
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. clip — a video
  11. spell — a short time
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. spell — magic
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. spell — letters
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. mark — a grade
  21. wake — a trail
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. clip — for paper
  24. mark — a trace

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