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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 116 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 · clip · drill · calf · kid · spell · sharp · cap

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. clip — to cut
  3. spell — magic
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. drill — a practice
  6. spell — a short time
  7. spell — letters
  8. clip — for paper
  9. drill — army training
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. cap — of ice
  14. clip — a video
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. drill — the tool
  17. cap — a lid
  18. kid — to tease
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. sharp — clever
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. cap — a hat
  24. kid — child

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