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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.

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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 · kid · vault · patient · hide · nail · hand · lie

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. kid — child
  3. clip — a video
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. hand — in cards
  13. vault — a safe
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. hand — help
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. clip — for paper
  21. lie — to recline
  22. clip — to cut
  23. nail — on a finger
  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