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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: spell · foot · squash · cell · trunk · club · key · clip

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. squash — the sport
  3. key — for a lock
  4. key — in music
  5. club — for golf
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. clip — to cut
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. cell — in biology
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. squash — to crush
  13. club — for dancing
  14. club — a group
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. cell — a phone
  17. clip — a video
  18. key — the most important part
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. spell — a short time
  21. spell — magic
  22. foot — a measure
  23. clip — for paper
  24. spell — letters

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