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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 120 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: clip · stick · mark · mouse · spell · wake · face · field

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  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. mark — a grade
  2. clip — a video
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. field — farmland
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. field — for sport
  8. spell — magic
  9. spell — a short time
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. clip — for paper
  12. clip — to cut
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. face — to point toward
  18. face — to confront
  19. wake — a trail
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. field — a subject
  22. spell — letters
  23. face — part of the head
  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