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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: nail · cell · stick · net · patient · mark · clip · court

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. clip — a video
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. mark — a grade
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. cell — a phone
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. clip — for paper
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. court — of a king
  15. court — of law
  16. net — after costs
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. net — in sport
  19. court — for sport
  20. clip — to cut
  21. cell — in biology
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. mark — a trace
  24. net — for catching

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