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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
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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: drill · stick · land · pass · mug · clip · spell · object

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. drill — the tool
  3. land — a country
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. mug — a face
  6. object — to protest
  7. drill — a practice
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. land — ground
  11. spell — letters
  12. mug — a cup
  13. object — an aim
  14. spell — magic
  15. spell — a short time
  16. drill — army training
  17. clip — a video
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. clip — for paper
  20. pass — a permit
  21. mug — to rob
  22. object — a thing
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. land — to come down

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