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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: trunk · drill · squash · bowl · arm · spell · clip · pound

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. drill — army training
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. squash — to crush
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. pound — a weight
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. squash — the sport
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. drill — a practice
  13. clip — a video
  14. spell — a short time
  15. clip — to cut
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. clip — for paper
  20. drill — the tool
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. spell — letters
  24. arm — part of the body

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