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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: land · leaves · bay · sharp · clip · mug · present · straw

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. mug — a face
  3. present — a gift
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. mug — to rob
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. present — the time now
  9. clip — a video
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. land — ground
  12. land — a country
  13. mug — a cup
  14. sharp — clever
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. present — there
  17. clip — to cut
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. clip — for paper
  24. land — to come down

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