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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: land · clip · spell · mine · stick · temple · staff · swing

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. land — a country
  4. staff — employees
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. staff — a stick
  7. swing — in golf
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. spell — letters
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. staff — employees
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. land — ground
  14. mine — for digging
  15. spell — magic
  16. clip — for paper
  17. spell — a short time
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. swing — music
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. land — to come down
  22. swing — to play on
  23. clip — to cut
  24. clip — a video

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