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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: rush · net · drill · sharp · nail · mug · bank · clip

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. mug — to rob
  3. clip — to cut
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. clip — for paper
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. bank — for money
  8. mug — a face
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. sharp — clever
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bank — of a river
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. net — after costs
  16. mug — a cup
  17. drill — a practice
  18. drill — army training
  19. drill — the tool
  20. bank — for money
  21. clip — a video
  22. net — for catching
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. net — in sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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