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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.

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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: spell · deal · craft · clip · straw · lie · bay · lean

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. spell — magic
  3. spell — a short time
  4. craft — a skill
  5. spell — letters
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. lean — thin
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. craft — boats
  14. lie — to recline
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. clip — a video
  18. deal — to handle
  19. clip — for paper
  20. lean — to bend
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. deal — a big deal

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