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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: mug · file · foot · cell · clip · stick · season · bound

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. mug — to rob
  3. mug — a cup
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. file — a document
  8. season — of the year
  9. cell — a phone
  10. file — a tool
  11. season — in sport
  12. bound — obliged
  13. cell — in biology
  14. mug — a face
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. bound — certain
  18. clip — for paper
  19. clip — a video
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. foot — a measure
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. file — a line of people
  24. bound — tied together

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