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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. prune — to trim
  4. key — in music
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. key — the most important part
  9. spring — the season
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. spring — of water
  12. clip — to cut
  13. prune — to trim
  14. clip — a video
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. pass — a permit
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. key — for a lock
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. clip — for paper
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. snap — to click
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. spring — a coil

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