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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.

Make a worksheet

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: hide · chest · fall · staff · trunk · land · spell · clip

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. spell — letters
  3. clip — for paper
  4. chest — a box
  5. fall — to drop
  6. staff — employees
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. fall — the season
  9. clip — a video
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. land — to come down
  12. spell — a short time
  13. spell — magic
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. land — a country
  17. land — ground
  18. staff — a stick
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. chest — of your body
  21. clip — to cut
  22. fall — to drop
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. staff — employees

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