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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: kid · chip · can · leaves · toast · clip · perch · spring

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. clip — to cut
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. spring — a coil
  5. clip — for paper
  6. kid — to tease
  7. chip — to eat
  8. toast — bread
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. spring — the season
  11. can — to be able to
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. can — a tin
  15. chip — for betting
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. kid — child
  19. clip — a video
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. perch — the fish
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. spring — of water
  24. can — a tin

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