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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 120 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: pound · dip · rock · cell · spell · leaves · stock · clip

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. spell — a short time
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. spell — magic
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. clip — a video
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. spell — letters
  10. dip — to sink
  11. stock — shares
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. pound — a weight
  14. clip — for paper
  15. cell — a phone
  16. cell — in biology
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. rock — music
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. rock — a stone
  22. stock — goods
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. dip — a sauce

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