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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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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: clip · stem · racket · date · can · staff · nail · roll

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. can — to be able to
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. staff — a stick
  5. stem — to come from
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. roll — a cake
  8. can — a tin
  9. clip — to cut
  10. can — a tin
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. clip — a video
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. staff — employees
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. date — the fruit
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. staff — employees
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. roll — a list
  24. nail — for a hammer

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