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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: club · spell · clip · nail · kick · leaves · wave · land

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. spell — letters
  4. kick — in football
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. spell — magic
  7. club — a group
  8. land — a country
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. land — to come down
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. land — ground
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. spell — a short time
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. clip — for paper
  20. club — for golf
  21. club — for dancing
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. clip — a video
  24. clip — to cut

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