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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: kick · mine · fan · nail · clip · root · prune · spell

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. root — of a plant
  3. clip — for paper
  4. prune — to trim
  5. spell — a short time
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. root — the cause
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. spell — magic
  13. mine — for digging
  14. prune — to trim
  15. clip — a video
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. spell — letters
  18. clip — to cut
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. kick — in football
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. root — of a word
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. kick — a thrill

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