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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.

Make a worksheet

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: nail · leaves · hide · land · season · clip

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. land — a country
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. season — in sport
  8. season — of the year
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. clip — to cut
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. land — ground
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. clip — a video
  16. clip — for paper
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. hide — to keep secret

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