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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: leaves · stick · pit · wake · clip · bowl · roll · spring

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. spring — of water
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. roll — a list
  8. pit — a hole
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. clip — a video
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. spring — the season
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. roll — a cake
  16. wake — a trail
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. pit — in a race
  19. clip — to cut
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. clip — for paper
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. spring — a coil

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