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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 116 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: club · ball · trunk · safe · cabinet · clip · stem · spell

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. spell — a short time
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. clip — for paper
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. club — for golf
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. clip — to cut
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. clip — a video
  15. stem — to come from
  16. spell — letters
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. club — a group
  20. spell — magic
  21. club — for dancing
  22. ball — a dance
  23. ball — a great time
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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