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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.

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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
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: nail · wound · clip · fall · stock · calf · spell · kick

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — to drop
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. spell — magic
  5. stock — shares
  6. stock — goods
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. wound — an injury
  12. spell — letters
  13. fall — the season
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. clip — to cut
  17. clip — for paper
  18. kick — in football
  19. clip — a video
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. spell — a short time
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. wound — an injury

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