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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 120 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: mine · drill · scale · snap · club · kick · spell · calf

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. mine — for digging
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. club — for golf
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. scale — size or range
  8. club — a group
  9. scale — in music
  10. kick — in football
  11. snap — to click
  12. drill — a practice
  13. spell — letters
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. spell — magic
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. drill — the tool
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. drill — army training
  21. club — for dancing
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. kick — with a leg

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