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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 · bound · can · foot · kid · scale · coach · nail

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. foot — a measure
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. clip — a video
  5. can — to be able to
  6. can — a tin
  7. clip — for paper
  8. bound — tied together
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. scale — in music
  11. bound — certain
  12. clip — to cut
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. kid — to tease
  15. scale — size or range
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. can — a tin
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. kid — child
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bound — obliged
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. scale — for weighing

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