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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: clip · bay · cue · saw · bear · arm · fan · spring

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. clip — to cut
  4. clip — for paper
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. bear — the animal
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. cue — for pool
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. spring — a coil
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. clip — a video
  16. spring — of water
  17. bear — the animal
  18. spring — the season
  19. saw — the tool
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. cue — a signal
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. saw — the tool

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