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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: spell · nail · fan · clip · cue · patient · mine · cell

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. cue — for pool
  3. clip — to cut
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. spell — a short time
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. clip — a video
  9. cell — in biology
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. cue — a signal
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. clip — for paper
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. spell — letters
  18. spell — magic
  19. mine — for digging
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. cell — a phone
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. fan — a supporter

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