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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: jam · nail · scale · fan · chair · clip · tear · lean

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. tear — from crying
  4. clip — for paper
  5. scale — in music
  6. clip — a video
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. lean — thin
  13. chair — a leader
  14. scale — size or range
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. tear — to rip
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. clip — to cut
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. tear — from crying
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. lean — to bend

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