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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: roll · dip · clip · rash · cap · drill · staff · spell

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. staff — a stick
  3. clip — to cut
  4. drill — army training
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — employees
  7. clip — a video
  8. roll — a cake
  9. drill — the tool
  10. spell — letters
  11. dip — to sink
  12. roll — a list
  13. drill — a practice
  14. spell — a short time
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. spell — magic
  17. rash — a series
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. rash — hasty
  20. clip — for paper
  21. cap — of ice
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. cap — a lid
  24. cap — a hat

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