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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.

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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: kick · fan · club · ground · clip · arm · tube · cell

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. ground — the earth
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. clip — to cut
  6. cell — in biology
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. clip — a video
  9. ground — a position
  10. tube — the underground
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. clip — for paper
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. kick — in football
  15. club — a group
  16. tube — a container
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. club — for golf
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. club — for dancing
  22. cell — a phone
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. ground — crushed

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