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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.

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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: cue · nail · fan · pitcher · charge · squash · clip · bank

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. cue — a signal
  6. bank — for money
  7. clip — a video
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. cue — for pool
  11. bank — of a river
  12. charge — in control
  13. clip — to cut
  14. squash — to crush
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. squash — the sport
  20. cue — a hint
  21. charge — electricity
  22. bank — for money
  23. clip — for paper
  24. charge — a price

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