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

Word bank: nail · mark · stand · can · chest · clip

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. clip — a video
  4. chest — a box
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. mark — a trace
  7. can — a tin
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. stand — to bear
  11. can — a tin
  12. clip — for paper
  13. clip — to cut
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. mark — a grade
  16. chest — of your body
  17. can — to be able to
  18. nail — for a hammer

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