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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 · lean · kid · clip · snap · drill · mark · trunk

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. clip — to cut
  3. drill — the tool
  4. mark — a trace
  5. lean — to bend
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. drill — army training
  9. mark — a grade
  10. spell — a short time
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. lean — thin
  13. snap — to click
  14. drill — a practice
  15. kid — child
  16. clip — for paper
  17. spell — magic
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. clip — a video
  23. kid — to tease
  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