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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stand · nail · hand · present · clip · straw · rash · degree

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. present — a gift
  3. degree — an amount
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. present — the time now
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. clip — a video
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. hand — in cards
  11. present — there
  12. rash — hasty
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. clip — to cut
  16. rash — a series
  17. hand — help
  18. degree — from a university
  19. clip — for paper
  20. degree — temperature
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. stand — to bear
  24. hand — part of the body

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