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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: bay · bear · spell · pass · fan · deal · cell · clip

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. bear — the animal
  4. pass — a permit
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. cell — in biology
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. clip — for paper
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. spell — a short time
  12. spell — magic
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. spell — letters
  16. bear — the animal
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. clip — to cut
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. clip — a video
  24. deal — to handle

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