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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: saw · spring · stick · last · clip · cabinet · march · mark

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. spring — a coil
  3. clip — a video
  4. clip — for paper
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. saw — the tool
  7. spring — the season
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. mark — a grade
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. saw — the tool
  12. spring — of water
  13. last — final
  14. march — the month
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. last — finally
  20. mark — a trace
  21. march — the month
  22. last — to go on
  23. march — music
  24. clip — to cut

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