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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: bark · clip · kick · bass · rest · stand · spell · mate

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. kick — in football
  3. bass — low music
  4. bark — to shout
  5. spell — letters
  6. clip — for paper
  7. rest — what's left
  8. spell — a short time
  9. stand — to bear
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. clip — to cut
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. clip — a video
  14. bass — the fish
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. mate — a friend
  19. spell — magic
  20. mate — to breed
  21. mate — a partner
  22. rest — a break
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. bass — the instrument

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