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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: face · clip · straw · bore · bear · foot · spell · charge

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. charge — in control
  5. bear — the animal
  6. clip — a video
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. bear — the animal
  9. foot — a measure
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. face — to point toward
  12. charge — electricity
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. spell — letters
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. face — to confront
  17. bore — to tire
  18. charge — a price
  19. spell — a short time
  20. face — part of the head
  21. spell — magic
  22. clip — to cut
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. bore — to drill

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