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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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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: cap · clip · bound · spring · firm · trunk · nail · temple

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. firm — decided
  3. clip — to cut
  4. cap — a lid
  5. spring — the season
  6. spring — a coil
  7. firm — a company
  8. cap — of ice
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. spring — of water
  12. bound — certain
  13. cap — a hat
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bound — obliged
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. firm — steady
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. clip — for paper
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. clip — a video

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