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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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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: tear · mouse · clip · nail · bay · club · wave · capital

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. clip — for paper
  6. tear — from crying
  7. clip — a video
  8. capital — a city
  9. clip — to cut
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. capital — money
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. tear — from crying
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. club — for dancing
  17. tear — to rip
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. club — for golf
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. club — a group
  24. bay — a horse colour

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