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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: arm · cell · season · clip · mug · charge · bear · bay

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. mug — to rob
  3. cell — in biology
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. mug — a face
  6. cell — a phone
  7. charge — electricity
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. season — of the year
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. charge — a price
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. clip — a video
  15. season — in sport
  16. charge — in control
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. bear — the animal
  21. mug — a cup
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. clip — to cut
  24. bear — to put up with

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