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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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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: stick · kick · cell · drill · wound · nail · cabinet · club

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. club — for dancing
  8. wound — an injury
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. drill — a practice
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. kick — in football
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. cell — a phone
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. drill — army training
  21. club — for golf
  22. wound — an injury
  23. club — a group
  24. cell — in biology

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