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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: net · nail · spell · trunk · clip · plane · fine · kid

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. net — for catching
  6. kid — to tease
  7. spell — letters
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. plane — a tool
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. clip — for paper
  13. net — after costs
  14. spell — a short time
  15. fine — high quality
  16. clip — to cut
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. fine — all right
  20. net — in sport
  21. kid — child
  22. spell — magic
  23. clip — a video
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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