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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.

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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: hide · pitcher · spell · race · leaves · clip · fan · wound

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. clip — to cut
  4. spell — a short time
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. race — the arms race
  7. clip — for paper
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. spell — letters
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. wound — an injury
  13. race — humankind
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. spell — magic
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. race — a contest
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. clip — a video
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pitcher — a jug

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