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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 120 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
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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: fan · pound · key · rush · clip · march · stem · spell

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. clip — for paper
  3. clip — to cut
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. spell — magic
  7. rush — hurry
  8. pound — a weight
  9. march — music
  10. stem — to come from
  11. key — for a lock
  12. key — the most important part
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. march — the month
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. march — the month
  20. spell — letters
  21. key — in music
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. clip — a video
  24. stem — of a plant

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