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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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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: bank · pit · rest · deal · field · nail · clip · cell

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. clip — to cut
  3. deal — to handle
  4. clip — for paper
  5. pit — in a race
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — a break
  8. rest — what's left
  9. field — farmland
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. field — a subject
  12. cell — in biology
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. pit — a hole
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. bank — for money
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. cell — a phone
  19. bank — for money
  20. bank — of a river
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. field — for sport
  23. clip — a video
  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