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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 116 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: spell · cue · nail · mine · dip · patient · clip · leaves

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. cue — a hint
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. mine — for digging
  6. spell — letters
  7. dip — to sink
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. cue — a signal
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. clip — for paper
  12. clip — a video
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. clip — to cut
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. cue — for pool
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. spell — a short time
  23. spell — magic
  24. leaves — of a tree

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