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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: spell · clip · mate · fan · tube · row · rest · dip

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. spell — a short time
  3. mate — to breed
  4. row — to paddle
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. tube — a container
  7. spell — magic
  8. rest — what's left
  9. spell — letters
  10. dip — to sink
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. mate — a partner
  13. clip — for paper
  14. rest — a break
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. clip — a video
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. mate — a friend
  21. rest — what's left
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. tube — the underground
  24. row — a line

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