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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · jam · rash · pound · spell · object · cell · clip

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. clip — a video
  3. object — a thing
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. clip — for paper
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. rash — a series
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. object — an aim
  11. spell — letters
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. object — to protest
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. cell — in biology
  16. pound — a weight
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. spell — magic
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. cell — a phone
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. rash — hasty
  24. spell — a short time

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