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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
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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: racket · spring · drill · wind · nail · key · clip · scale

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. wind — moving air
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. clip — a video
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. key — for a lock
  8. drill — the tool
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. drill — a practice
  11. spring — of water
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. key — the most important part
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. scale — size or range
  18. drill — army training
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. clip — for paper
  21. spring — the season
  22. spring — a coil
  23. scale — in music
  24. key — in music

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