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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: nail · cell · last · spell · wave · wound · kick · hide

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. cell — a phone
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. kick — in football
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. last — final
  9. last — to go on
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. last — finally
  13. spell — letters
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. wound — an injury
  18. spell — magic
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. cell — in biology
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. wound — an injury
  24. spell — a short time

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