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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 · toast · drill · clip · dip · march · cue · ground

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. cue — for pool
  6. drill — a practice
  7. cue — a signal
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. clip — a video
  10. ground — a position
  11. drill — the tool
  12. drill — army training
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. clip — for paper
  15. toast — bread
  16. cue — a hint
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. ground — the earth
  19. march — the month
  20. ground — crushed
  21. dip — to sink
  22. march — the month
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. march — music

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