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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: arm · pop · fine · rock · leaves · stick · clip · mine

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. fine — all right
  3. mine — for digging
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. clip — a video
  6. pop — soda
  7. fine — high quality
  8. rock — music
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. pop — to visit
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. pop — music
  18. clip — to cut
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. rock — a stone
  24. rock — to move gently

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