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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: clip · mine · straw · staff · wound · bowl · rock · kick

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. clip — to cut
  3. clip — for paper
  4. wound — an injury
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. rock — a stone
  12. staff — employees
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. clip — a video
  15. wound — an injury
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. staff — employees
  19. rock — music
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. staff — a stick
  23. kick — in football
  24. straw — a straw man

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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