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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.

Make a worksheet

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: safe · spell · mark · straw · bear · clip · last · band

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. mark — a grade
  3. last — to go on
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. mark — a trace
  6. spell — a short time
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. bear — the animal
  9. last — final
  10. band — a music group
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. bear — the animal
  14. spell — magic
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. clip — to cut
  17. band — a ring
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. spell — letters
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. last — finally
  23. clip — a video
  24. clip — for paper

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