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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
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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: clip · spell · board · last · suit · trunk · pitcher · leaves

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. spell — letters
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. suit — in cards
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. suit — to fit
  7. suit — clothes
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. spell — a short time
  12. clip — a video
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. board — a committee
  15. board — to get on
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. last — final
  19. spell — magic
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. clip — for paper
  22. clip — to cut
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. last — finally

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